The health and wellbeing needs of refugees and asylum seekers

The World Health Organisation recognises health as complete mental, physical and social wellbeing, not just the absence of disease.

Because of this, we have known for a long time that health is mainly determined by the circumstances, or ‘building blocks of health’ of people’s lives, and includes their family and social lives, education, employment, education, and housing (see the health ‘rainbow’ diagram below). These building blocks support health directly and are the context for people’s risky and positive health behaviours like smoking or exercise respectively, as well as their access to health and social care services that play an important but not dominant role in ‘creating’ health and wellbeing.

Individuals can support their wellbeing through the five ways to wellbeing, described here by the NHS, provides helpful tips for people to use in their daily lives to promote wellbeing. It recognizes that wellbeing comes from connecting with others, being physically active, learning new skills, volunteering and other forms of positive action, and mindfulness.

For refugees and asylum seekers, migration and displacement are additional determinants of health:

• Many will have experienced conflict, persecution and the loss of family, friends and livelihoods in their home country.
• Their journey may have been traumatic, with poor sanitation and the risk of abuse.
• When they arrive in the UK, they may experience a period of uncertainty, unstable accommodation, social exclusion and stigma.
• They may also face issues with using health services, and encounter language barriers and cultural differences.
• All of these factors will impact on their physical and mental health.

Refugees and asylum seekers are a diverse group, coming from a range of countries, and they will have a variety of healthcare needs. There is a lack of data focusing on refugee and migrant health which makes it difficult to draw clear conclusions about their health and wellbeing, but evidence does show some common themes which are explored here.

Recommendation: Continue to promote health and wellbeing