Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

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people seeking asylum and refugees are vulnerable in health terms and accessing health care can be
difficult, not least because of language and cultural issues. A health sub-group of the East of England
Consortium for Asylum and Refugee Integration has been investigating the surrounding issues, 136
Healthy Futures must lend support to this work.
8.6 Migrant workers constitute a second important group. These are much greater in number – a recent
study has estimated that there are some 50,000-80,000 migrant workers in the East of England, and
this number is growing. Migrant workers enter the Region in a great variety of circumstances and
hence, making generalisations is both difficult and dangerous. However a proportion are working very
long hours in low paid jobs and in poor (and sometimes dangerous) working conditions; particularly
for these people, access to services (including, but not restricted to, healthcare) can be an issue and
this may be exacerbated by issues relating to language and culture. In pure economic terms, it has been
estimated that new migrant workers to the East of England contribute revenue in the order of £360m
per annum. 137 Migrant workers are an important part of the way in which the Region works, and
therefore recognising and responding to issues surrounding their health and well-being needs to be
a priority within Healthy Futures.
8.7 The table below sets out a number of regional-level Actions which have been identified in response
to Strategic Priority 7; these will be advanced alongside – and in support of – the range of on-going
delivery processes.
Strategic Priority 7: To recognise and respond to the practical
implications of international gateways for health and health
inequalities within the East of England Action Area Actions Milestones Timescale
Action
Action
Area
Area Actions
Actions
Milestones Timescale
Milestones
Suggested lead partner(s) Outcomes
Understanding the health 7-1: Understand better the health • Appropriate mechanisms are
needs of potentially
needs of people entering the
established to capture and
vulnerable people
Region through networks of
disseminate information
entering the Region
good practice, information
and intelligence
and intelligence
• Good practice is identified –
for example from international
gateways elsewhere in the UK
and internationally
Recognising the impact
of illicit imports of drugs/
tobacco/alcohol
7-2: Highlight the extent and
impact of illicit imports on health
in different parts of the Region,
and support the development
of appropriate Actions
• Regional intelligence
is gathered together
and disseminated
• Implementation of regional
plans relating to tobacco
control and alcohol is supported
136 East of England Consortium for Asylum and Refugee Integration: End of Year Report, 2003-04.
137 Migrant Workers in the East of England Report completed by Dr Sonia McKay and Dr Andrea Winkelmann-Gleed for EEDA, June 2005.