The Asylum Seeker Healthcare Team is a team of registered healthcare professionals and support staff who provide a multi-dimensional specialist role offering an integrated approach to health and social care for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants (planned and unplanned dispersal and refused immigration status), in Norwich. The health team are co-located within Norfolk County Council’s People from Abroad Team and are part of the Vulnerable Adult Service model.

The team has grown over the last 12 months to meet the increased population of this client group within dispersal housing and contingency hotels in Norwich. The team prides themselves on developing new services to meet the complex needs of this vulnerable community. The team has developed a specialist mental health service alongside the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust located at the REST.

The team provides support for clients to register with a local GP Practice, enabling them to access mainstream health care services. The service aims to provide any asylum seeker, refugee, or migrant ,no matter their country of origin, with fair and equal access to General Medical and support services by:

• Providing an in-depth and comprehensive initial healthcare screening to identify any health and social care needs. This information is shared with the registered GP to provide a history and baseline assessment for the medical practitioner.
• Provide support and learning for inclusion practices to assist with the clinical management of this client group
• Integrated working with other agencies who are part of the Inclusion Health model to ensure a joined-up approach, such as Voluntary Sector groups
• Promoting the use of translation services and assisting practices with any support they may require with this.