The Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Team is responsible for introducing asylum seekers and refugees recently arrived into Stoke-on-Trent to NHS services.
The team provides practical help and advice to meet the health needs of asylum applicants and refugees who have been granted permission to stay in the UK, and choose to remain in Stoke-on-Trent. They also help failed asylum seekers, many of whom are homeless and destitute with no recourse to public funds.
Working in partnership with GPs, people are assisted in registering with a nearby GP. They are subsequently invited for Tuberculosis (TB) and Mental Health screening. Patients who require further treatment are then referred to appropriate services in either primary or secondary care.
The service also operates many Health Promotion activities in relation to emotional needs, sexual health and physical health, working in partnership with the Sexual Health Team.
The team act as a resource for professionals requiring information relating to asylum seekers and refugees, and also provide educational sessions to nursing / medical students at Keele University, as well as other health services.
The team offer an open access service, as well as appointments, to assist asylum seekers to:
Clients can drop in at any time, and the service is also at various locations across the city.
