Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health

Local Services

The Haven, Sirona Care & Health

Who is this service for?

The Haven is a service for asylum seekers and refugee (ASR) adults and children who are in the BNSSG area. 

What we do

The Haven is a specialist community healthcare service who work with ASR’s who are accommodated in Home Office Contingency accommodation e.g. hotels, shared houses and private accommodation.

Our patient records can be accessed via EMIS Shared Care Sirona to GP’s across BNSSG.  

All patients are registered with a local GP practice at the same time as being under our care.  We send a discharge letter to the GP at the end of our provision of care. 

Our team consists of nurses, GP’s, a children’s nurse, health visitors, administrators. We: 

• Help people to register with a local GP practice
• Provide health assessments and management of immediately necessary health problems, including referrals to secondary care
• Screen for transmittable diseases
• Work with UKHSA on outbreak management
• Work with NHS talking therapy BNSSG and The Hope service to provide mental health assessments and support
• Work with Sirona vaccination team to provide UK catch up vaccination schedule for adults and children aged > 5 years old
• Safeguarding including age disputes, human trafficking, victims of sexual assault and torture
• Provide information about how to use the NHS and support patients to access primary care for routine and long term health problems
• Support families and children
• Advocate for improved patient access
• Support GP practices where asylum seekers and refugees are registered
• Education and training
• Work with the voluntary sector to meet social needs – clothing, asylum support, phones, language classes, social activities, access to schooling
• Work with face to face and telephone interpreters

Haven children’s nurse - provides comprehensive screening assessments, including physical, mental health and safeguarding for children aged 5 – 16 years old.

Haven health visitors - provide health visiting support to ASR families with children under 5 years old

Haven Pharmacy Voucher Scheme - this allows asylum seekers to access some over the counter medications for free, after having a pharmacist consultation.  The OTC medication list is limited and this scheme has only been set up with some nominated pharmacies.  Detail of the scheme including a list of nominated pharmacies and available medication can be found here.

Referral

The Haven are notified by the Home Office/ housing provider when an asylum seeker or refugee is accommodated in BNSSG.

Referral are accepted from health practitioners, housing providers, social workers or agencies working with asylum seekers and refugees.  Self-referrals can also be made.

Please complete the referral form and email it to:

Email: the.haven@nhs.net     Tel: 0300 124 6875

Montpelier Health Centre, Bath Buildings, Bristol, BS6 5PT

They are happy to receive advice and guidance queries by email or phone.

Paediatric Asylum & Refugee Service

Information on paediatric service found here - Asylum & Refugee Clinic page

Bristol Support Agencies

There are several well-established agencies offering a wide range of services to those seeking sanctuary in Bristol. Up to date information, including printable leaflets in several languages, can be found on the Bristol City of Sanctuary website.

Interpreting and Translation

Please see the How to access Interpreting and Translation Services on Remedy. All GP practices can access telephone interpreting services using Language Empire via EMIS. Here are GMC guidelines, communication tools and advice on best practice in using interpreters.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/language-interpretation-migrant-health-guide

• NHS Choices has translated information about some health conditions and gives guidance on how to translate other written information from English using Google Translate

https://www.nhs.uk/about-the-nhs-website/aboutnhschoices/accessibility/Pages/other-languages-section.aspx

• This section of the Doctors of The World website has translated ​information on some health conditions including Covid-19, on rights to access health care and on looking after yourself.   

https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk/translated-health-information/

Patient information leaflets and translated information

• Sleep problem patient information leaflet – English, French, Farsi, Arabic, Kurdish, Mandarin
• PTSD patient information leaflet - English, French, Farsi, Arabic, Kurdish, Mandarin
• Self Help Guides produced by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust https://web.ntw.nhs.uk/selfhelp/  Titles cover a range of mental health issues.
• Coping strategies for anxious times patient information leaflet – English
• Green spaces in Bristol map with postcodes

Improving Access to Health Care

Everyone is entitled to register with a GP. Please see the attached information on Improving Access to Health Services.

Free prescriptions all asylum seekers are eligible for an HC2 certificate via NHS low income scheme. Limited income (e.g. £8 per week in hotel accommodation) is a barrier to medical compliance so prescribe OTC medication e.g. vitamin D, paracetamol.

www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-income-scheme/hc2-certificates-full-help-health-costs

Top Tips from The Haven

Disclosures of human trafficking and modern day slavery are sometimes made. Such disclosures should be reported to a first responder (including local authority safeguarding) to enable access to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). Call the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline for advice: 08000 121 700

Think ‘what extra support does this patient need for this treatment plan to work?’ See linked information on social prescribing.

Solicitors may request supporting letters. See linked information on the asylum process and Asylum questionnaire FAQ

Health problems linked to country of origin - migrant Health and Infectious Disease Resources. Please see information on migrant health resources and Infectious disease guidance primary care

Mental health partners

We work with NHS Talking Therapy, The Hope service, Trauma Foundation SW and ARC clinic (under 18 years old). 

Afghan and Tigray refugees - Cultural considerations

The following resources are available to help those people in primary care who are working with Afghan and Tigray refugees:-

• A leaflet in Dari and Pashtu about COVID vaccinations
• Information about the Afghan culture, which may be particularly useful for Reception staff

Videos in Tigrinyan

These animated videos from TS4SE in Tigrinyan cover annual health checks, COVID-19 vaccines and flu vaccines. There are also accompanying leaflets and a version in English

Resources

Education and training 

If you would like to shadow one of The Haven clinician team or arrange training for your organisation, please complete our Expression of interest form 

Sexual Assault and Sexual Abuse - Information to support people seeking asylum in the UK - please see the Sexual Assault/ Abuse support page for the link to English and translated versions of this leaflet.

Special thanks to Dr Laura Todd (Haven GP) for providing the information to create this page.

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.