Gypsy Roma Traveller Leeds
The permanent site of the Gypsy Roma Traveller Communities
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Information for Health Care and Other Professionals
A Better Road is a booklet produced by Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group in collaboration with the Derbyshire Traveller Issues Working Group.
Another Guide for Health Professionals has been produced in Waltham Forest, London.
The purpose of both these booklets is to help health care staff and other professionals understand the Gypsy/Traveller culture.
Poor Environment + Poor Literacy = Poor Health
Travellers Health Issues
All research indicates that Travellers suffer from poorer health than the rest of the population. The poor environmental conditions in the form of inadequate site provision is a major contributing factor as are lack of knowledge of the system and poor literacy.
There are serious implications for health and access to education and other services caused by insufficient sites for Travellers in Leeds. Many families have to camp by the side of the road or on pieces of waste land and live without the amenities all other families take for granted.
The Health Report 'Making a Difference' concluded that there is a clear need for:
- health education, improved access to health care and extended roles of professionals
- inservice training for health workers on interculturalism and negative stereotyping of Travellers
- a more flexible and imaginative way of taking services to Travellers and identifying GP's who can work well with Travellers.
Details
Sheila Padgett says:
Hello to all Gypsies and Travellers in Leeds. I am the Health Visitor for Gypsies and Travellers in Leeds city wide.
Drop-in Clinic starts in September
From the 1st September the Health Visitor Sheila Padgett will be holding a "drop-in" clinic at Morley Health Centre every Friday from 10.00am - 12.00am for all Travellers (housed, roadside, and sited)
Health Visitor
Melanie Ellis from Hunslet Health Centre 0113 277 1811 will cover the work on the Health Bus and the work on Cottingley Springs. Julia Carey from Rothwell Health Centre 0113 282 0520 will do the first Birth visit and the work with Roadside Travellers.
Other health resources
East Leeds Primary Care Trust
We provide a range of support to ethnic minority voluntary groups across the city. We are particularly interested in working with Gypsy and Traveller groups helping them to identify and highlight their own health needs and to develop new ways of working to ensure they have better access to all services.
Oaktree House,
408 Oakwood Lane,
Leeds LS8 3LG
South Leeds Primary Care Trust
Offers at the moment individual sessions focusing on mental health issues i.e. anxiety, depression.
Contact Philippa Ostler; mental health worker
0113 277 4519
Bridge House,
Balm Road,
Hunslet,
Leeds LS10 1PT
Also read about
Travellers Health Partnership
The THP produced an important health report "Making a Difference".
Read it and about it here
Sheffield University
Another important health study.
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