The maternity healthcare inequalities of women seeking asylum and refugees are well documented. We are on a mission to change this.
Our project, Maternity Care, is a partnership endeavour between Afrocats, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, the Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN), the Ardwick and Longsight Primary Care Network and the Little Lions Network. 15 women in the Little Lions network take part in weekly sessions to dismantle the communication barriers they experience in their journey to motherhood.
Session 1
The session began with a cultural dance session led by Magdalen which got the women warmed up and ready to go!
Rozina, from the Primary Care Network's Be Well programme, then delivered a presentation about available local health and social services that are available for women in the local area.
During the presentation, she also instructed women on how to address their GPs to obtain referrals and get access to vital information about their health.
The attendees were able to raise specific questions about their health and – through discussions - they learned new ways to improve their lifestyles. Their children were able to access a playroom and toys while they attended the session.
Through the session, we discovered that women from this group struggle to communicate with their GPs and therefore are unable to access vital information about their own bodies. Language barriers pose the biggest obstacle when interacting with the NHS.
To find out more about how we are dismantling health inequalities for women seeking asylum and refugees head over to the Health and Wellbeing section on our website. And, don't forget to follow us on social media to keep up to date with all our work!