NSW Health WSLHD Safety & Quality Account 2020-21

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Health and Wellbeing

Almost 12,000 refugee and humanitarian entrants have settled in our communities in the past 10 years.

An estimated 85%

of refugees who live in the WSLHD catchment report poor or no English proficiency.

Refugee Camp in My Neighborhood In April 2023, WSLHD partnered with the City of Parramatta and the NSW Refugee Health Service to create a simulated refugee camp experience. Our staff experienced the journey of a refugee to gain a better understanding of the challenges they face as they arrive in Australia, including the challenges of navigating the Australian health system. As a significant and growing number of WSLHD patients are refugees and asylum seekers, this tour helped staff understand the experiences of our most vulnerable patients and clients and deliver healthcare that assists them to have a trusting and positive experience when engaging with WSLHD services. Tours were delivered by guides from a range of refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds, including staff from NSW Refugee Health and WSLHD. The interactive tour helped staff: • Understand how the refugee experience can impact on wellbeing. • Develop an understanding of risk factors for refugees. • Improve their ability to engage effectively with people from refugee backgrounds. Ukrainian Refugee Dual Vaccination Clinic WSLHD partnered with the Ukrainian Youth Centre in Lidcombe to establish a dual COVID-19 and flu vaccination pop-up clinic for Ukrainian refugees new to Australia. The clinic ran in the month of July 2022 and was developed to protect the new members of the Ukrainian community who moved to a new country and were adjusting to a new life.

An estimated 23,000 asylum seekers live in the WSLHD catchment.

Safety & Quality Account 2022-2023 Western Sydney Local Health District

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