Case study - Health service support for Saran

Case study: Health service support for Saran

Saran arrived with her family from Syria. She is a 30-year-old wheelchair bound woman with cerebral palsy. Her mother was caught in a bomb blast when she was seven months pregnant with Saran causing permanent injury to Saran.

When she arrived in Gloucestershire, she was using a wheelchair provided by the asylum processing centre following her arrival in the country. The wheelchair was missing a footplate; it was torn and provided no pressure support.

Saran was clearly suffering from anaemia and weighed very little.  She was also trying to manage significant mental health issues. Routine investigations uncovered a potential cardiac issue, so she needed to be referred to a specialist at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GHFT).

After her initial registration with Gloucestershire Health Access Centre (GHAC) by the Lead Nurse for Migrant Health, she was seen by a GP and started a course of vitamin D, iron and anti-depressants. She was seen by the wheelchair services and within six weeks had been provided with a wheelchair much more suited to her needs. She was also referred into physiotherapy services to help her regain some conditioning into her lower limbs.

The GP and the Lead Nurse for Migrant Health continued to support her asylum applications and provided evidence to support her move into more suitable accommodation.