Asylum Seekers in the U.K. Struggle to Access Mental Health Care

By Amelia Blakey

Image licensed by Istock / Credits : Getty Image

An estimated 61% of asylum seekers experience serious mental illness which is five times the rest of the population in England. In March this year it was reported that there were 91,000 people seeking asylum in the UK meaning that over half of these people require mental health care. However, there are many barriers that prevent asylum seekers in this country from accessing the healthcare that they need, for instance a lack of access to information regarding help available, and unstable housing situations that make it difficult to provide adequate care.

One of the biggest issues is that this country’s mental healthcare provisions are already strained, and this has worsened post pandemic. In 2021 The Care Quality Commission published their State of Care report and noted that “Mind and Rethink Mental Illness have reported an increase in demand for their services. For example, in the 12 months since the first national lockdown was announced, Rethink reported a 175% increase in demand for advice and information on their website.” Before the pandemic the government report had laid out plans for the NHS that set out new targets to shorten waitlists with the aim that 75% of mental health patients should receive treatment within 6 weeks and that 95% of patients should be treated within 18 weeks. However, following the pandemic this has been forgotten. According to a report carried out by The Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2022 in England there is currently on average one consultant psychiatrist per 12,567 people. Which contributed to long waitlists for those trying to access mental health care. According to the report nearly a quarter of mental health patients wait twelve weeks to start treatment and as many as 6% wait more than a year. These long waits often worsen the issue and makes patients more vulnerable the longer they wait to receive care. This is why it is critical that these wait times be shortened.

Asylum seekers as well as facing all of the same barriers that other mental health patients face in the UK, also have to overcome many other barriers that arise. For instance, The Royal College of Psychiatrists noted that there are many challenges that make it difficult for asylum seekers to access the care they need. One of these barriers is that housing for those claiming asylum is very unstable with people moved around whilst their application is assessed, this makes it difficult to treat any conditions consistently as they move from different areas and are treated by different doctors. They also noted that there could be problems with a lack of affordable interpreters as well as the lack of medical records which are usually lost during conflict. Also, asylum seekers are more likely to be affected by digital poverty and not have access to the internet which would make it easier to use NHS services and find out what help is available to them.

In a Q&A in 2020 for the UNHCR, their Senior Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Officer, Peter Ventevogel, noted that there had been an increase in the numbers of displaced people suffering from serious mental health conditions like schizophrenia and manic depression which is likely connected to a natural vulnerability to these conditions coupled with being displaced and losing that support network and stability of home. Refugees are especially vulnerable to conditions such as PTSD, Anxiety and Depression in comparison to the rest of the population. They are also at a higher risk for suicide. Therefore, it is vital that asylum seekers are able to quickly access help and receive treatment. Currently charities like the UNHCR and The Refugee Council are trying to step into fill this gap. For instance, The Refugee Council offers some one-to-one counselling, as well as holding workshops and support groups. However, these charities are unable to help everyone and relying on charities to provide mental healthcare is unsustainable.

For asylum seekers arriving in this country access to mental healthcare is critical and forms a key part of being able to establish their new life in the U.K. Not only is it important to their personal lives but their mental health could also affect their employment as they look for jobs in this country if they’re not receiving the care they need. Peter Vontevegel said in the Q&A that “If you don’t address the wellbeing of forcibly displaced populations in a holistic way, the effects will be secondary, inter-generational. It will lead to individual suffering and will also translate into societal problems.” It is imperative that these barriers be addressed as asylum seekers continue to struggle to access the help they need.