Health barriers faced by Eastern European women
Sunderland UniversityA study is hoping to raise awareness of barriers faced by Eastern European women accessing health and support services.
The University of Sunderland and the charity International Community Organisation of Sunderland (ICOS) carried out research that found they struggle to access services because of language barriers and a lack of interpreters and translated material.
Dr Louise Harvey-Golding, who led the study, said this affected their rights to privacy, dignity and confidentiality, because they often had to rely on family members or acquaintances for help.
Government guidance states an interpreter should always be offered when patients struggle to communicate in English.
Integrated care Boards (ICBs) are responsible for ensuring translation and interpretation services are available for patients.
North East and North Cumbria ICB said it was only responsible for providing funding for translation services, but it was down to individual organisations to ensure they were available.
Risk of exploitation
The university and the charity worked with focus groups of Eastern European women from across Tyne and Wear and some service providers.
One woman who took part in the study said she had had to go to the dentist with a friend and described the situation as "strange".
She said: "It's quite a specialist language and it's quite difficult because a lot of people have a fear of the dentist."
An organisation supporting women experiencing domestic abuse said confidentiality was a big concern for their service users.
It said: "There is a fear that information might get out to the wider community, and we find that actually impinges on women disclosing the full extent of the abuse that they've experienced."
Dr Harvey-Golding said a lack of translators increased the risk of victimisation and exploitation.
She also said that government support should be available to small service providers such as domestic abuse charities to help overcome language barriers.
Julia Wysocka, who works at ICOS and supports a community group for Eastern European women in the region, said: "We hope this study will not only give these women a voice to share their experiences, but it will spark positive change for more measures to be put in place, like interpreter services."