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Navigating challenges and workarounds: A qualitative study of healthcare and support workers' perceptions on providing care to people seeking sanctuary
,
Bridie Evans ,
Wdad Alanazy,
Lauren Couzens,
Lucy Fagan,
Rebecca Fogarty,
Ann John ,
Talha Khan,
Mark Kingston ,
Samuel Moyo,
Alison Porter ,
Gillian Richardson,
Grace Rungua,
Victoria Williams,
Helen Snooks
Health Expectations, Volume: 27, Issue: 3
Swansea University Authors:
Ashra Khanom , Bridie Evans , Ann John , Mark Kingston , Alison Porter , Helen Snooks
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DOI (Published version): 10.1111/hex.14061
Abstract
BackgroundHealthcare and support workers play a pivotal role in delivering quality services and support to people seeking sanctuary who have experienced poor physical and mental health linked to previous trauma, relocation and loss of freedoms. However, they often encounter various challenges in the...
| Published in: | Health Expectations |
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| ISSN: | 1369-6513 1369-7625 |
| Published: |
Wiley
2024
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63508 |
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| Abstract: |
BackgroundHealthcare and support workers play a pivotal role in delivering quality services and support to people seeking sanctuary who have experienced poor physical and mental health linked to previous trauma, relocation and loss of freedoms. However, they often encounter various challenges in their daily work, ranging from communication barriers to resource constraints. This qualitative study seeks to delve into the perspectives of healthcare and support workers' experience of workarounds, employed to overcome barriers to providing care.AimThis study aims to describe healthcare providers', practitioners' and health and third sector support workers' views on barriers and workarounds to providing care for people seeking sanctuary, to inform policy and practice.DesignA qualitative study was carried out using semi-structured telephone interviews.SettingThis study focused on primary, secondary, community and specialist National Health Service (NHS) support services for people seeking sanctuary in Wales, United Kingdom (2018).MethodWe interviewed 32 healthcare providers, practitioners and support workers employed by primary care and third sector organisations. Our approach involved obtaining verbal informed consent before digitally recording and transcribing all interviews. To analyse the data, we used the Four Levels of Change for Improving Quality model as a guiding framework for interpretation.ResultsOur study findings reveal that certain respondents expressed challenges in meeting the needs of people seeking sanctuary; notably, their experience of delivering care differed by care settings. Specifically, those involved in providing specialist NHS care believed that there was room for improvement. Mainstream primary, secondary and community health practitioners faced limitations due to resource constraints and lacked tailored information to address the unique circumstances and needs of sanctuary seekers. To address these gaps, workarounds emerged at both individual and local levels (team/departmental and organisational level). These included establishing informal communication channels between providers, fostering cross service collaboration to fill gaps and adapting existing services to enhance accessibility.ConclusionUnderstanding healthcare providers', practitioners' and support workers' perspectives offers invaluable insights into ways to enhance healthcare delivery to sanctuary seekers. Acknowledging challenges and harnessing innovative workarounds can foster a more effective and compassionate service for this vulnerable population. |
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| Keywords: |
asylum seekers; delivery of healthcare; health personnel; primary healthcare; qualitative research refugees |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
Swansea University; Public Health Wales |
| Issue: |
3 |