'Sanctuary CCG' to be set up to provide benchmarks for medical care to migrants and refugees

Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), is drawing up plans to become a ‘Sanctuary CCG’, with officials aiming to launch the offering in June next year.

Dr Dan Roper, chair of the Hull CCG Board, told members the status would mean the body would provide benchmarks for how it offers medical care to migrants and refugees.

Dr Roper said: “Hull is already a City of Sanctuary for migrants and refugees and has been at the forefront of supporting them as well as in emancipation movements for many years. We wanted to be the first to do this and we’ve already drawn up a charter, we even got to chose the name.

“This will make NHS services in Hull a welcoming place for people fleeing violence and persecution, it’s really important. It will provide a template for other areas and NHS organisations to use if they want to go down this road.”

CCG Board members heard the body would seek to tailor how it promotes and offers services to migrants and refugees, with the charter available to be shared across the NHS.

Dr Roper said the principles in the charter would be applied to the NHS’ work locally and to organisations that work with the health service.

The charter is also set to govern how NHS bodies share data relating to migrants and refugees between themselves.

Board members also heard it would allow it to offer more support to BAME people generally and to tackle health inequalities affecting racial minorities.

Dr Roper said he also wanted to use the status to share stories about migrants coming to and settling in Hull.

The doctor added Abdul, who settled in Hull after fleeing from Eritrea as a refugee for his own safety, was someone whose story fit with the mission of the status.

Dr Roper said Abdul now works for the Tigers Trust charitable foundation for Hull City FC after volunteering there and getting to know people through football.

The doctor said: “There’s some really positive stories around the contribution migrants like Abdul have made to Hull, there’s been some real successes. Those are going to become increasingly important.

“I met Abdul about a year ago and he told me his story, he experienced extreme loneliness when he first arrived in Hull. He went and volunteered at the Tigers Trust and it was through a common love of football that he met new people and he now works there full time.

“His story stuck in my mind because it incorporated what we wanted to do with the Sanctuary status.”

The CCG is working on its sanctuary status alongside the Refugee Council and Migration Yorkshire.

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