This project involved public engagement discussions aimed at identifying current health and care needs facing asylum seekers and refugees in the North East of England
Quick read summary
Asylum seekers and refugees have poorer mental and physical health than other migrant population groups. This study worked with people who are providing support to asylum seeker and refugee communities, to explore the health and care needs of these communities.
Research summary
The North East currently has ten times as many asylum seekers and refugees as the South East and South West of England.
Asylum seekers and refugees have poorer mental and physical health than other migrant population groups.
The dispersal of this vulnerable population to deprived areas with limited resources is likely to worsen their health.
This work aimed to identify current health and care needs facing asylum seekers and refugees in order to design targeted research and interventions to address these needs.
It involved a series of public engagement discussions with stakeholders and individuals providing health and care services to asylum seekers and refugees in the North East.
How was the work carried out?
We held three public engagement discussions with stakeholders and those involved in providing health and care services to asylum seeker and refugees, between October and December 2023.
The participants included ‘bridgebuilders’ (or link workers), a paediatrician, and a city church lead coordinator, the majority of whom were based in Gateshead.
The discussions took place in person and online.
Participants were encouraged to openly discuss about the health and care needs facing asylum seekers and refugees living in the North East. Topic guides were used during the discussions.
Findings
The participants highlighted several issues facing asylum seekers and refugees.
The most common concerns included:
- Mental health problems
- Lack of understanding of the UK system including GP services
- Language and cultural barriers
- Unrecognised chronic health conditions
- ‘Unfriendly’ media coverage (of these communities)
- Poor and unfair attitudes of service providers
The participants also suggested potential actions to help alleviate some of the concerns raised.
What happens next?
Findings from this project highlight potential areas for future research and interventions to improve health and wellbeing of asylum seekers and refugees in the North East.
A study running alongside this is working with asylum seekers and refugees directly, to understand their health and care needs. The link to the Evidence Summary for this will be added here when the work is complete.
Find out more
This work was led by Chioma Nwaru and Jen Portice, who are ARC NENC Research Fellows within our Inequalities and Marginalised Communities theme.
Get in touch at: