ACH Joins Discussions on Migrant Health in the BNSSG Region
Last month, ACH was invited, alongside other refugee support organisations, to join an NHS workshop in mapping the wellbeing support landscape in the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire regions.
The workshop was preceded by an interactive mapping exercise in which community organisations and service providers signposted their services to establish how services overlap and collaborate in different ways.
The workshop itself dissected 3 case studies of newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers who needed urgent medical attention or safeguarding. To understand the issues refugees and asylum seekers face in obtaining healthcare, we contributed as a group to map the various actors which these individuals would encounter and discussed their roles, responsibilities, and the outcomes of these interactions.
From this exercise we established that the healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers can be multifaceted and complex, leading to an amalgamation of service provision which can be difficult for users to navigate. Important lessons were learnt, and constructive solutions were proposed.
The workshop also provided an opportunity to raise several of the barriers to refugee healthcare as identified in our recent Change Makers 2023 Report. These included the over-prescription of medication due to lack of mental health support, the fear among women that seeking help may lead to their children being removed by social services, misunderstandings about rights and entitlements, and lack of dental care.
The event solicited a number of important conversations and connections, and we look forward to working with healthcare partners in future research and practice.
