A new booklet has been produced to support organisations who have conversations with ‘inclusion health’ groups who may struggle to access healthcare services.

Download the booklet here [PDF, 3.9MB]

Inclusion health is an umbrella term used to describe people who experience multiple, interacting risk factors for poor health, such as stigma, discrimination, poverty, violence and complex trauma.

People in inclusion health groups often have poor experiences of healthcare services because of barriers created by service design. For example, we know that many people find it difficult to register with a GP practice and to understand their rights around registration, use of interpreters and to get services which work for them.

These negative experiences can lead to people avoiding future contact with NHS services and being least likely to receive health care despite having high needs. They might not get help early to prevent ill health and might miss being diagnosed early with serious health conditions.

This can result in much poorer health outcomes and earlier death among people in inclusion health groups compared with the general population.

Voluntary Community Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations and Sounding Board members told us that they needed an information pack to enable them to support service users to access primary care.

The ‘Supporting you to access healthcare in Manchester’ booklet has been designed to support organisations who have conversations with Inclusion health groups, who may struggle to access services such as people seeking sanctuary, migrants, people who are homeless, sex workers and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

The leaflet has been co-designed through a workshop with over 20 VCFSE organisations at a Local Authority of Sanctuary Health and Well-being event in May and with the Inclusion Health Sounding Board and primary care commissioners.

Copies will be shared in digital and hard copy formats with VCFSE organisations, libraries, GP practices, children’s centres, schools, Citizens’ Advice service and any other organisations or groups which signpost or safeguard people within the city of Manchester. For hard copies, any other leaflet queries and feedback, please contact communications@manchesterlco.org

Download the booklet here [PDF, 3.9MB]