The Haven Healthcare for new asylum seekers

1
The HavenHealthcare for new asylum seekers
refugees in Bristol

• Ginny Burdis
• Specialist Health Visitor

2
An overview of the service

• NHS Bristol funded health service, established in
  2004
• Specialist service set up to address complex,
  initial needs of asylum seekers, and now includes
  family re-union new arrivals
• Provided in a primary care setting, in a central
  city location
• Employs an extended gateway service model
• Staffed by 3 practitioners GP, nurse, health
  visitor
• Clinics held 3 mornings per week
• Outreach service by health visitor
• Liaison partnership working with other agencies
  is key to the way we work.

3
Service delivery

• Aims
• To reduce health inequalities by facilitating
  access to health care
• To relieve pressure from other services e.g. AE
  depts
• To identify and address areas of unmet need
• Clients
• In 2010/11 188 new patients
• 31 16yrs or under
• 44 female
• Top 6 countries of origin
• Somalia (50), Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan,
  Gambia

4
What influences health and makes some women
vulnerable?

• Pre flight experiences
• In flight experiences
• Living in exile including
• the effect of the asylum seeking process
• re-uniting with family / partner
• social factors in host community

5
Health issues

• Sexual health - Pregnancy
• - Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
• - Rape / sexual violence
• Depression - different connotations
  within some cultures.
• - often distressed about leaving
• family behind
• - stress of taking on new role and
• being sole
  provider for children
• PTSD - often witnessed or been
  
• involved in traumatic events

6
Health issues (cont)

• Communicable disease - uptake of all screening
  tends to be low.
• Injuries sustained through trauma /war
• Isolation, separated from support networks
• Need for dentistry, opticians, family planning
• Lack of understanding about UK health care systems

7
What does the Haven provide?

• Holistic health assessment
• Listen to experiences and prioritise actions
  according to individuals needs
• Offer screening for communicable diseases, give
  immunisation update and general health advice
• Sexual health history, discuss FGM, contraception
• Mental health assessment
• Complex issues referred to Haven Dr for treatment

8
Enabling women to move on

• Registration with a GP local to her home address
• Health records and action plans sent to GP
• Information about eligibility and access to
  services such as dentist, optician, family
  planning
• Help with application for free prescriptions
• Linking into voluntary sector for befriending,
  ESOL, family tracing, way-finding, social
  activities
• Introduction to next practitioner e.g midwife
• On going support provided via social centre, home
  visits and telephone calls.