| The Reaching Out Project The Reaching Out Project aims to improve access to maternity services for highly marginalised Black and minority ethnic women, including refugees, asylum seekers, women with little or no English and women with insecure immigration status. The project involves both campaigning and development of information resources. The project is based in London and operates on a national basis. |
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Recent court case on refused asylum seekers and entitlement to health care
In April 2008, a High Court judgment resulted in changes to entitlement to free National Health Service (NHS) healthcare for refused (or ‘failed’) asylum seekers. Refused asylum seekers are asylum seekers who have exhausted all avenues of appeal.
Prior to this judgment, refused asylum seekers were asked to pay for NHS maternity care (but could not be refused care if they could not pay). They also had restricted rights to register with a GP.
Following the judgment, most refused asylum seekers are now entitled to free NHS maternity care and other secondary care, and have the right to register with a GP.
We have prepared an information sheet on the practical implications of the court case.
  21/05/2008
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Maternity Access and Advocacy Pack
Medact is now distributing the Maternity Access and Advocacy Pack, which is a picture-based resource which aims to improve access to maternity services. It is designed for use with community groups. Medact is distributing copies free of charge to community groups and to others who can distribute the Pack locally.
Medact is running train-the-trainer workshops for individuals who will promote the resource amongst community groups in their local area.
02/04/2008
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Proposed changes to entitlement to free NHS primary care
The Home Office is currently considering proposals which would exclude vulnerable migrants from eligibility for free NHS GP and other primary care services. People who would be affected include those whose asylum claim and appears have been rejected ('failed asylum seekers'), trafficked women and undocumented migrants. It also has implications for women who have a current visa but 'no recourse to public funds'. The Reaching Out Project has prepared a briefing paper on the proposals. We encourage all concerned individuals to write to their MP about this.
11/01/2008
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Maternal mortality and women from Black and minority ethnic groups
The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health reviews all maternal deaths in the UK. and makes recommendations to improve care. The Reaching Out Project has prepared a summary of the 2007 report findings in relation to women from Black and minority ethnic groups.
10/01/2008
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Parliamentary inquiry into health inequalities
The Reaching Out Project prepared a submission to the 2007 Health Committee inquiry into health inequalities.
09/01/2008
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Parliamentary inquiry into the treatment of asylum seekers
The Reaching Out Project made a submission to the 2006 Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights inquiry into the treatment of asylum seekers. This focused on entitlement to free NHS maternity care.
08/01/2008
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Entitlement to NHS maternity care
We have researched access to maternity care for vulnerable women who are not entitled to free NHS care, including ‘failed’ asylum seekers, trafficked women and undocumented migrants. Many of these women are in difficult financial situations as they are not entitled to work and have no access to state benefits. They are asked to pay for care but are entitled to maternity care whether or not they are able to pay. Despite this, we have found that many of these women have been refused care or deterred from seeking care.
We have made submissions on this issue to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and to the Kings Fund Inquiry into safety in maternity (submission available below). We have published several articles in midwifery journals.
27/08/2007
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Advice on entitlement to NHS maternity care
We have updated our advice on entitlement to NHS maternity care to incorporate information on what to do if treatment is refused or if treatment is delayed while changes are resolved. This advice quotes the relvant regulations and guidance.
27/08/2007
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Case studies
We are keen to receive case studies of vulnerable migrants who have encountered difficulties in accessing NHS maternity care.
27/08/2007
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Training for health workers
We have developed the training course, ‘Refugees, asylum seekers and maternity: an introduction’. This course provides midwives with the skills and knowledge to support women who are refugees, asylum seekers, and ‘failed’ asylum seekers, including the implications for practice of community attitudes, cultural background, and the experience of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. We delivered five sessions of this course to midwifes from the Homerton in Spring 2007.
We are undertaking a project to develop training and information resources for health workers to improve access to maternal and child health services for marginalised women from black and minority ethnic communities. This is a two year project running 2007-2009.
27/08/2007
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Other reports
We prepared a report on preliminary consultations for the Maternity Access and Advocacy Pack.
15/06/2006
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