Polish and Eastern European needs assessment
Download (PDF 842.38 KB)Summary of report content
This is a report by Healthwatch Merton. The project looks at Polish and Eastern European needs in the local area. It is also done with the PFA, a Polish support group.
The needs assessment conducted by The Polish Family Association (PFA) and Healthwatch
Merton, focuses on the Polish and Eastern European (EE) community, aimed to investigate the
disparities in healthcare for these populations within the Borough of Merton. The assessment
engaged 176 individuals attending PFA services through surveys alongside five focus groups and
two in-depth interviews with healthcare professionals.
To effectively address the healthcare challenges faced by the Eastern European community in
Merton, it is important to bridge the existing gaps in engagement, communication, and trust.
These gaps can lead to misinformation for example, fuelled by tight-knit networks, particularly
around preventative care and vaccinations. Another example is the cultural and language
barriers complicating access to essential services, resulting in frequent reliance on emergency
services, private clinics, or even healthcare in their home countries. This pattern of disengagement is neither sustainable nor conducive to positive health outcomes.
There are recommendations in this report:
- Sustainable Community Engagement with the NHS
- Designing Targeted Interventions
- Culturally Sensitive Health Care Promotion
- Training and Capacity Building within Existing Community Organisations Already Supporting Polish/Eastern Europeans
- Implementation of Interventions and Evaluation
- Advocacy for Policy Change
There are follow up actions in this report attached to the recommendations.