Community practitioner : the journal of the Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association
-
Travellers in Ireland continue to experience health disparity, cultural fragmentation and a lack of visibility in health service provision. This paper reports on a pilot study exploring factors that affect Traveller health and the experiences of primary care services from the perspectives of key Traveller health stakeholders in Ireland. ⋯ The findings highlight the importance of consulting Traveller communities in the design of a primary care service framework within each local needs analysis. The promotion of Traveller advocacy, visible access and referral pathways can therefore be achieved, with PHCT workers acting as a 'bridge' between Travellers and the designated area primary care team.
-
Health visitors initiated and developed a men's health project in North Staffordshire, adopting a client involvement approach to provide men's 'health MOTs' for men in deprived areas. As the sessions were expanded to other areas of the trust, a consultation process with focus groups was used to identify local men's needs and suggestions. The themes to emerge were--men's fears around health, reducing health check fear and anxiety, female roles in health, suitable locations for men's health events, most desirable tests and advisors, and male-friendly written information. Issues around venue choice were a more significant factor than originally perceived, and the focus group findings have since informed many practical aspects of the men's health MOT sessions.