GovWire

Purpose

This framework has been developed by the National Asylum Seeker Health Steering Group (NASHSG) which is co-chaired by the Home Office and OHID. It has been agreed by the Home Office, OHID and NHS England and Improvement.

It has been developed to ensure clarity around roles, responsibilities, and communications to support the health and wellbeing needs of individuals seeking asylum living in initial and contingency sites.

The framework is intended for use across the UK (England and the devolved administrations) and contains basic minimum standard principles. However, it can be developed further to suit local need or systems.

The document covers both initial and contingency accommodation. However, some of the processes are only relevant for contingency sites such as when standing up or down sites.

An updated framework will be circulated once the following initiatives in development are completed:

• an opt out approach to GP registration reflected in the AASC SoR (Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract Statement of Requirements)
• standardising initial health assessment tools and processes

Principles

The following principles should be adhered to by all stakeholders:

• the sharing of information concerning the individual care of those seeking asylum should be done with their informed consent

Accommodation providers should seek this consent at the earliest opportunity and share the details of everyone living at the site with relevant health providers on a regular basis (frequency to be agreed by the operational group).

If this is not done through access to a portal, a password protected spreadsheet can be used and shared each week to ensure health providers are aware of new arrivals and anyone being dispersed.

The National Asylum Seeker Health Data Subgroup is working to develop more sustainable arrangements to cross-agency information sharing.

• whilst the framework has been designed to support the needs of those seeking asylum, it can also be adapted for use with other vulnerable migrants living in similar Home Office accommodation such as Afghan evacuees and has been developed with the ambition to establish parity between the services offered to all communities accommodated by the Home Office.

• all stakeholders should commit to working in a collaborative and transparent way and put into place the systems outlined in this framework to allow for regular communications to better meet the health and wellbeing needs of those seeking asylum

• the accommodation provider should ensure staff receive appropriate training and supervision to allow for consistent messaging around informed consent

• the accommodation provider should ensure they have a data sharing agreement in place with health providers to enable information to be shared

• any processes and arrangements put in place should be co-produced with individuals seeking asylum

Further details on the processes for health engagement, standing up initial and contingency accommodation and ongoing information flows are available in National operational framework: initial and contingency accommodation (ODT, 85.8 KB)