Asylum Seekers' Health Service
On my way to the guesthouse, I visit Masheeda Downing who works here; the service assesses the health of new arrivals and screens for TB.
She says the health of asylum seekers is usually good when they arrive but deteriorates over the next few years. The men tend to smoke heavily but I imagine this health deterioration is more associated with the anxiety of displacement than with smoking. Masheeda tells me this induction service is closing down as Home Office policy for asylum seekers moves over to a more helpful and efficient case work system.
