Issue - meetings

40 minutes

1.  Presentation by Alice Herve, Bath Welcomes Refugees and Sue Poole of Healthwatch on the report on experiences of refugees in accessing and using health and social care services in B&NES.

A copy of the full report by Dr Aanchal Ranacan be found at:

https://healthwatchbathnes.co.uk/report/2023-11-02/my-voice-matters-experiences-refugees-accessing-and-using-health-and-social-care

2.  Update from Laura Knight, Employment and Accessibility Officer, Bath and North East Somerset on initiatives to support refugees.

Sue Poole (Healthwatch) and Alice Herve (Bath Welcomes Refugees) gave a presentation on a report undertaken by a University of Bath student on the experiences of refugees in accessing and using health and social care services in Bath and North East Somerset and Swindon.  A copy of the presentation had been circulated with the agenda and the key findings and recommendations are summarised below:

1.  Overall the process of registering with the GP worked well in both areas.

2.  There was a lack of understanding with refugees of how the NHS worked leading to confusion and frustration.

3.  There was a perception that refugees were placed at the back of the waiting list.

4.  Translation services could be improved, this included support to book appointments with GPs.

5.  Dental Access needed to be improved.

6.  Specialist mental health support was needed for refugees.

7.  The impact of housing instability on physical and mental health needed to be recognised.

8.  There was a systemic issue that when refugees had to change area, they go back the start with their NHS support

Laura Knight, Employment and Accessibility Officer at Bath and North East Somerset Council was invited to update the Board about an initiative to appoint a Ukrainian Youth Ambassador to engage and advocate on behalf of other young Ukrainian refugees especially in relation to wellbeing, education, training and pathways to employment.  She reported that the B&NES Resettlement Team also funded an officer to advise and guide refugees.  She advised that there had been 1,000 refugees in B&NES over the last 8 years under a variety of different resettlement schemes.

Board Members raised the following comments.

1.  There needed to be closer working with the Home Office in relation to supporting refugees and asylum seekers.  A number of partners had been supporting a group of asylum seekers who were temporarily housed in a hotel in Bath, but the group had been moved on without the knowledge of the local authority/other partners who had been working with the families. 

2.  Some refugees chose not to stay in the area even though they were offered a good package of support, as they sought relocation closer to family members in different parts of the country.  This was not necessarily a bad outcome as it was important for refugees not to feel isolated.

3.  There was a relatively small group of unaccompanied asylum seekers in the area, but they needed a high level of support due to the trauma they had experienced.

4.  The report highlighted the powerlessness of refugees and lack of control they had over their lives.

5.  The University of Bath was a university of sanctuary and would welcome working with the Ukrainian Youth Ambassador.  The university offered a scholarship for a Ukrainian student, but there not been any applicants.

It was RESOLVED that the Board, through the ICB, would raise the issue of effective communication with the Home Office in relation to supporting asylum seekers and refugees.