Healthcare for city refugees and asylum seekers gets £700,000 boost

Loxley House in Station Street, where Nottingham City Council
Loxley House in Station Street, where Nottingham City Council is based
By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter

Nearly £700,000 has been approved by a council to help refugees and asylum seekers access healthcare.

Difficulty registering with a GP, language problems, limited understanding of NHS services and poverty can all stop people getting medical help, Nottingham City Council says.

Council documents note the amount of people seeking asylum in the UK has risen “significantly”, and in Nottingham since the country began hosting people from Ukraine and Afghanistan in 2021 and 2022.

Home Office data suggests there were around 1,500 asylum seekers in Nottingham in December 2023.

While the refugee and asylum population in Nottingham is relatively young, with over 70 per cent of asylum seekers being under the age of 35, their overall low uptake of healthcare can mean increased pressure on the general health service if they cannot access treatment.

There are several thousand people with refugee status but also an unknown number of people who were refused asylum in Nottingham who still need accessible healthcare, according to papers.

The money will fund the ‘People Seeking Asylum and Refugee Access to Healthcare Service’, where the council will decide from the best healthcare provider who has applied to provide the service.

The City Council currently pays into refugee healthcare provided by Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum, which helps refugees make healthcare appointments, obtain translators and access free healthcare.

This current service has been running for 12 years but funding shortages now mean the council will allow providers to competitively bid for the new contract.

Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis (Lab), executive member for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “It is important that the current and future needs of this population are understood, and that we have the provision in place to enhance social integration and to improve access to health services.

“And to do all we can to improve people’s lives so they can live lives free of discrimination and fear.

“That’s why the decision to commission a service to meet these needs is very important.”

The contract will serve for an initial three years with a two-year extension, running from April 2025 to March 2030, with £136,817 being spent each year.

The money will be funded by a ring-fenced public health grant.