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21/February/2008
HSE Launches National Intercultural Health Strategy
On Thursday 21st February, the Health Service Executive (HSE) launched its National Intercultural Health Strategy at the Mansion House in Dublin. Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD and CEO of the HSE Professor Brendan Drumm launched the strategy.
Ireland has the fastest growing population in the European Union. Figures indicated that the population of Ireland has increased from 3,917,203 in 2002 to 4,234,925 in 2006. This represents in increase in population of 8.1%. Migration is named as the dominant factor in this increase and according to Census 2006 there are 420,000 foreign nationals now living in Ireland. By 2030, it is expected that 18% of the population will be foreign born.
Mirroring these trends, the backgrounds of healthcare staff and people to whom services are provided are also changing. For example, 33% of those working in the medical/dental field are from overseas, as are 14% of nurses and midwives. While at one of the country’s large Children’s Hospitals, 10,000 of the 60,000 attendances annually to the out-patient department are from ethnic minorities.
It is timely then that the HSE, in recognition of these changing demographics and the consequent health needs they suggest, has developed a National Intercultural Health Strategy. The primary objective of the strategy is to provide a framework through which service users and providers are supported in addressing the unique care and support needs of people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
The strategy was developed following a series of consultation events across the country. Consultation included regional workshops, focus groups, individual interviews, seminars and surveys with service users, HSE staff, and representatives from voluntary organisations working with ethnic minorities.
Some of the key priorities identified from this process included:
· Information, Language and Communication: There is a need to provide ready access to information and cultural mediation, and make professional interpretation and translation service widely available.
· Service Delivery and Access to Services: Services should be delivered on the basis of equality of access in all areas of healthcare.
· Organisational Acceptance: Ensure that the organisation reflects the diversity of current Irish society and ensure commitment at all levels of the organisation to interculturalism and equality.
· Working in Partnership with minority communities: Support needs to be given for minority ethnic communities groups tackling inequalities and allowing for ongoing participation with minority ethnic communities in service developments.
Aspects of the report are already being introduced throughout the health service and examples of good practice which have improved access and equality have already been implemented.
Some examples of these best practices include:
· In North county Dublin an advertising campaign was introduced before Christmas in Polish to promote the Out of Hours GP service.
· In West Dublin a local Health Office has a wide range of its information material now available through a touch screen service available in a range of languages to serve the local population’s changing diversity.
· Literature from health awareness campaigns such as the recent Parents Who Listen Protect initiative have been translated into Russian, French, Lithuanian, Latvian, Polish, Romanian, Chinese and Irish.
· Work is being carried out with the National Intercultural Hospitals Initiative which is developing tools and resources to support hospitals to respond effectively to their patients from ethnic communities.
· Guidelines have been developed for staff in relation to accessing and using interpretation and translation services.
· Information booklets on topics such as diabetes and recognition of marriages of non Irish Nationals are being translated into the major languages used in Ireland.
Speaking at the launch of the strategy, Ms. Alice O’Flynn, HSE Assistant National Director for Social Inclusion, said: “It is widely acknowledged that people from minority groups are at increased risk from poverty and social exclusion. Irish Travellers, asylum seekers, refugees and migrant workers are especially vulnerable and members of these groups may be exposed to racism and discrimination. This coupled with language and cultural barriers may further compromise health and well being. This strategy advises on the optimum way towards planning and delivering of care and support in an equal, accessible and effective way, while acknowledging and valuing the diversity of all service users and providers.”
Professor Brendan Drumm, CEO of the HSE said; “It is vital that we take full account of the changing nature of our service providers and service users when planning and delivering services and recruiting, supporting and retaining staff. We must also ensure that our services are provided equally to all and respond appropriately to the specific health needs of new and well established minority communities. The National Intercultural Strategy has an important role to play in ensuring we do this in an inclusive, respectful and fair way.”
Implementation of the strategy will be mainstreamed into annual HSE service delivery over the coming five years. To ensure a planned approach to this a specific advisory group will be established and a detailed action plan developed.
Note:
· The HSE has accepted the report and will be examining how its recommendations can be implemented. Among the recommendations are:
· Accessing Services: Adapting information to ensure that all service users are fully aware of their entitlements and how to obtain them.
· Recruitment and Retention of Staff: Collaborative efforts are required with the various stakeholders to develop initiatives aimed at the attraction, selection, recruitment, promotion and retention of staff from diverse backgrounds.
· Service Delivery: Research to establish the prevalence of specific conditions disproportionately affecting minority ethnic groups.
· Information: Coordinated development of guidelines around production and application of translated material.
· Interpretation: A thorough audit of existing systems of facilitating interpretation should be undertaken to inform the nature and design of a national interpretation service.
· Women: Actions around addressing the maternal care and support needs of women from diverse ethnicities and cultures.
· Children: Support and training for staff may be necessary in the area of childcare and protection within a framework of interculturism and diversity.
· Sexual Health: Aspects of sexual health delivery for service users from ethnic minorities should be addressed within the context of the development of forthcoming National Sexual Health Strategy.
This information was sourced from Health Service Executive website: www.hse.ie
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