What is Migrant Health?

Bristol is an extremely diverse city, with residents from over 50 countries of origin and 91 languages spoken. With so many different local communities, it’s really important that everyone who lives in Bristol has equal access to healthcare – regardless of the language they speak, their culture, nationality, religion or belief.

Bristol Community Health is fortunate to have three unique specialist community services who have a wealth of experience and expertise in engaging, treating and supporting those from Migrant communities, Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities and those with English as a second language. The services which come under Migrant Health are: The Haven, Health Links and Tuberculosis (TB) Service.

What do these services offer?

The Haven, a specialist primary healthcare service for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees who are new to Bristol. The GP and nurse service provides health assessments, management of current health problems, vaccinations and screening, and assistance with local GP registration. We regularly work with people who have experienced traumatic events. We have pathways and can sign-post to other helpful services such as counselling and refugee support organisations. To find out more about this service click here.

Health Links, a language support and health advocacy service. The service overcomes cultural and language barriers through interpreters which act as the language link between healthcare professionals and patients. We are an expert resource on issues relating to BME communities across Bristol. They support healthcare professionals during appointments and on outreach and home visits. They attend clinics and are able to be present in some Bristol GP practices to interpret between patients and GPs or other healthcare professionals. To find out more about this service click here.

TB service, a nurse-led care, support and information service for patients with tuberculosis (TB). There are Five nurses in the team, providing outreach and support to people with active or latent tuberculosis (TB) in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. The team are responsible for identifying and arranging screening for people who’ve been exposed to TB. Over2/3 of TB patients in the UK are migrants or from a BME community, so this is a crucial service for our migrant population. To find out more information about this service click here.

Part of the remit of these services to is support health professionals in improving their approach to migrant and BME populations. Bristol Community Health services and their patients continue to benefit because of this team.