Health of Ethnic Minority Communities in Wigan

1
Health of Ethnic Minority Communities in Wigan

• Linda Adhana
• Health Development Officer
• BME Communities
• Public Health Department
• Ashton Leigh Wigan PCT

2
BME communities in Wigan

• Long term resident communities predominantly S.
  Asian and Chinese communities
• Gypsy and traveller communities
• Asylum seekers and refugees wide range of
  nationalities from around the world
• New migrants from Europe European Accession
  Countries (Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic,
  Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Hungary)
• International students

3
Health Inequalities

• Health Survey for England 2004
• Prevalence of cardiovascular disease increased
  from 4.8 to 9.1 in Pakistani men between 1999
  and 2004
• Diabetes four times as prevalent in Bangladeshi
  men and three times as prevalent in Pakistani and
  Indian men than the general population

4
Health Inequalities Gypsy and Traveller
Communities

• Women live 12 years less and men 10 years less
  than the general population
• High incidence of stillbirths, perinatal and
  infant mortality
• Higher incidence of childhood accidents
• Children may not be immunised
• Insecure and poor living conditions on
  unregulated sites
• Cultural and attitudinal barriers in accessing
  services
• Low literacy rates and poor attendance at school

5
Health Inequalities Asylum Seekers and Refugees

• Health needs related to past experiences of war,
  detention, torture, rape, physical and mental
  trauma
• Poverty and poor quality living conditions
• Lack of social support
• Language and cultural barriers, not understanding
  how the health system works
• Mental stress of constant uncertainty over asylum
  claim and future life
• Homelessness and destitution can occur at all
  stages of the asylum process

6
Health Inequalities New Migrants from Europe

• Workers Registration Scheme loss of employment
  in the first year can lead to homelessness and
  destitution
• Housing poor quality, overcrowded
• Risk of exploitation and poor working conditions
• Language and cultural barriers, not understanding
  how health and social care systems work
• Roma communities poor health related to
  persecution in home country

7
Complex Health and Social Care Needs

• Varied and complex health and social care needs
• Immigration status can make care and support more
  complicated
• Language and cultural barriers
• Lack of awareness of how services work
• Staff not familiar with working cross-culturally,
  and with interpreters. May not be familiar with
  specific health and social care needs, and
  systems and regulations relating to asylum and
  immigration

8
Safeguarding Women and Children

• Education some countries children do not have
  to attend school
• Different cultural expectations regarding
  discipline and safety
• FGM (Female Genital Mutilation/ Female
  Circumcision) widely practiced in the Horn of
  Africa
• Risk of exploitation and abuse of women and
  children who become homeless and destitute
• High mobility less able to trace children
• Trafficking of women and children
• Domestic violence

9
Public Health Issues

• Mental health
• Physical Health
• Health Protection and Health Promotion
• Sexual Health
• Poverty and Destitution
• Housing, Homelessness
• Domestic Violence
• Child Protection
• Workplace Health
• Links to Benefits and Advice Services

10
Project Proposal

• Health Visitor (Band 7) and two Support Workers
  (Band 5) As part of an expanded homeless and
  vulnerable persons team
• Benefits
• Able to build up specialist knowledge of
  cultural issues and complex health and social
  care needs
• Able to support mainstream services with
  specialist knowledge and advice liaison and
  signposting role
• Innovative practice for health improvement and
  health promotion , eg gender based sessions,
  language based sessions, attend community drop
  ins, health trainers from gypsy traveller
  communities
• Support child protection functions and promote
  child welfare
• Support BME Health Development Team in
  preventative health and improving health
  inequalities

11
Photo Credits

• Meissner, N. UNHCR
• UNHCR
• Chalasami, R. UNHCR.
• Pagetti, F. UNHCR
• Chalasami, R. UNHCR.