The Refugee Health Nurse Liaison: a nurse led initiative to improve healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees

Abstract

Asylum seekers and refugees experience a range of barriers to health service access and competent use. The Refugee Health Nurse Liaison initiative was piloted at a hospital in a high-settlement region of Victoria, Australia. This initiative aimed to build capacity within the health sector to more effectively respond to the needs of asylum seekers and refugees. A mixed-methods evaluation was undertaken to: describe issues encountered by asylum seekers and refugees within the hospital setting; capture the nature of the Refugee Health Nurse Liaison position; and document key outputs. Throughout the pilot period, 946 patients were referred to the role, of which 99% received an assessment of physical, mental, and social health. Refugee Health Nurse Liaisons effectively provided clinical support, advocacy, education, referrals, and both formal and informal capacity building. Learnings from this model are transferable to services in high-settlement regions, and could have application in improving patient care more broadly.

Keywords:

• refugee
• asylum seeker
• hospital
• nursing
• capacity building
• health services accessibility
• patient care

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Rose Chapman and Melanie Gibson-Helm for their valuable advice and guidance throughout the pilot period of the initiative, and in refining this manuscript. Further, the exceptional effort of the Refugee Health Nurse Liaison staff must be recognised. Your determination to establish a new role within a complex environment is appreciated, and the impact of your work is of benefit to the health sector and, indeed, the community.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.