We support diverse communities and vulnerable groups to have a better understanding of access to healthcare. We aim to break down barriers to healthcare and inequality and be a bridge between communities and the health board. We support Gypsies, Roma and Traveller communities, homeless and vulnerably housed, asylum and refugees and Black Asian minority ethnicities. We do this by attending and holding events, drop-ins and partnership work with community groups and the local authorities.
We share important health messages with communities as they come out or change. We provide information from sources that communities can trust so that individuals can make well-informed choices on their health and well-being. This includes smoking cessation, alcohol reduction and healthy living. Recently we have been sharing, through health talks and printed information on “how to access services (999/111)” for those arriving from Ukraine.
We try to provide information in community languages and Easy Read so that it is accessible. We have developed interpretation request cards to support people asking for interpretation services so far in 24 different languages that we have identified. We provide training for services to access interpretation and translation.
We recently held a “Winter Wellbeing” event for those from the Gypsy and Traveller community to help with heating advice and healthy eating tips to support winter well-being and immunisations from the Immunisation team. We attend homeless drop ins regularly with the community immunisers and hope to extend the services offered to people that attend that are unable to access health care.