Contents
- Lifestyle related illnesses and hypertension
- Cancer
- Mental health
- Immunisation
- Maternity services
- Children and young people
- Rough sleepers and homeless community members
- Introduction to the Roma health guide
- Barriers to healthcare for the Roma community
- System barriers
- Language barriers and communication
- Cultural barriers - Common health problems and vulnerable groups:
- Lifestyle related illnesses and hypertension
- Cancer
- Mental health
- Immunisation
- Maternity services
- Children and young people
- Rough sleepers and homeless community members
Rough sleepers and homeless community members
Many barriers to healthcare for homeless and rough sleeping Roma are the same as those for the wider Roma community, only harder to overcome. The main issues for rough sleepers are GP registration and access to primary care, literacy and language barriers, and digital exclusion. These factors can result in an increased risk of exploitation and more time experiencing homelessness, increasing the risk of poorer health for this group of Roma. Based on anecdotal evidence from RSG casework, some homeless community members are not seeking medical help due to fear of being charged for healthcare.
Roma people who are not rough sleeping but are precariously housed and vulnerable to homelessness face similar barriers to care. If they are “sofa surfing” they will often be prevented by the landlord or sub-letter from using their address for GP registration, and they may be unaware of alternatives to face-to-face appointments with a GP, such as NHS 111.
For general recommendations on removing barriers to healthcare for the Roma community, please see the generalist version of this guide.
Recommendations:
Roma people who are not rough sleeping but are precariously housed and vulnerable to homelessness face similar barriers to care. If they are “sofa surfing” they will often be prevented by the landlord or sub-letter from using their address for GP registration, and they may be unaware of alternatives to face-to-face appointments with a GP, such as NHS 111.
For general recommendations on removing barriers to healthcare for the Roma community, please see the generalist version of this guide.
Recommendations:
- Train outreach workers on Roma barriers to healthcare and entitlements to care, signposting to resources and support with GP registration and appointments.
- Support homeless or rough sleeping Roma with GP registration by linking with eg. Doctors of the World’s Safe Surgeries or Groundswell’s “My right to healthcare” initiative.
- Support at least one GP practice in each borough to specialise in registering homeless or rough sleeping patients.
- Increase awareness in health services of modern slavery and exploitation for homeless populations, and how to identify potential victims.
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The Roma Support Group is a registered Charity (No. 1103782)
and a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales, (No. 0464598). Registered office address: 17 Old Ford Road, London, E2 9PJ |
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