Cambridgeshire Health Booklet - NHS Cumbria
Cambridgeshire Health Booklet - NHS Cumbria
Cambridgeshire Health Booklet - NHS Cumbria
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What can you do as a<br />
health professional?<br />
. Have an awareness of the cultural issues<br />
of Travelling communities. Attend cultural<br />
awareness training sessions, but remember<br />
to treat all Gypsies and Travellers as<br />
individuals.<br />
. Involve Gypsies and Travellers in training<br />
health service staff and in awarenessraising<br />
sessions.<br />
. Consider how cultural issues may impact<br />
on the health and health behaviour of<br />
individuals from Gypsy and Travelling<br />
communities.<br />
. Keep Gypsies and Travellers informed about<br />
decisions that affect their lives. Explain<br />
clearly what you are doing and why, and<br />
how long treatment will take and services<br />
will last.<br />
. Consider how you may reduce some of the<br />
barriers to accessing health care, such as:<br />
- ensuring all services are accessible and<br />
user-friendly<br />
- considering outreach services as having<br />
to travel and a lack of transport can be<br />
a barrier to accessing services<br />
- being friendly positive and open<br />
yourself when working with Gypsies<br />
and Travellers<br />
- talking to families to find out why they<br />
may not be accessing mainstream services<br />
. Work in partnership with other<br />
organisations who are already working<br />
with individuals from Gypsy and Travelling<br />
communities. For example Traveller<br />
Education Services and the Ormiston<br />
Travellers Initiative.<br />
. Give clear and thorough explanations of<br />
how prescribed drugs should be taken,<br />
including information such as:<br />
- how many to take<br />
- when to take them<br />
- how long to take them for.<br />
. Read the documents listed on page 23 to<br />
find out more.<br />
The University of Sheffield’s 2004 report,<br />
The <strong>Health</strong> Status of Gypsies and Travellers in<br />
England: A report to the Deparment of <strong>Health</strong>,<br />
also recommends:<br />
. partnerships between Gypsies and<br />
Travellers and health workers<br />
. employing specialist Gypsy and Traveller<br />
health workers<br />
. identifying Gypsies and Travellers in<br />
ethnic monitoring<br />
. increasing GP registration.<br />
A recent study by Patrice van Cleemput on access to and experiences of primary care for Gypsies and<br />
Travellers includes some useful information about requirements for culturally safe services.<br />
A copy of the report is available to download from the Ormiston website at www.ormiston.org or<br />
the <strong>Cambridgeshire</strong> Primary Care Trust website at www.cambridgeshirepct.nhs.uk<br />
22
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