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Gypsy Roma Traveller Health Needs Assessment
It is recognised nationally that Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people have significantly poorer health outcomes than the general population of England and these inequalities in health are a result of interactions between adverse environments (living, working and social), lifestyle behaviours and poor access to health, care and wider support services.
Kent has a higher percentage of Gypsy and Traveller people than the England average and many Roma communities too. Nationally there is a lack of focus on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in Joint Strategic Needs Assessments which results in these communities being overlooked when planning services. In response to these issues, Public Health in Kent County Council carried out a Gypsy, Roma and Travellers Health Needs Assessment (HNA) to update the previous HNA of 2015.
This report highlights the stark health inequalities faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups across Kent which are in line with what is known about the health needs of these communities nationally. These health inequalities result from longstanding inequalities in the wider determinants of health as well as inequities in access to preventative, screening and treatment services. These are exacerbated by experiences of stigma and discrimination faced by these communities. Additionally, levels of health literacy, cultural and health beliefs shape the way community members view the need for services.
The report makes several recommendations, noting that action taken at system, place-based and service level will improve health outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people. Every effort has been made to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.