Delivering NHS Health Check Community Testing Programme to the Refugee Community in Leeds

During Race Equality Week 2025, we delivered an NHS Health Check Community Testing Programme, engaging with the refugee community in Leeds and offering NHS Health Checks in a way that felt comfortable to attendees.

The programme was delivered in partnership with Burmantofts, Harehills and Richmond Hill Primary Care Network (BHR PCN) Population Health Management team, and the Leeds Refugee Forum. The Leeds GP Confederation and BHR PCN team engaged with community leaders who spread news about the event through their networks, in the hope that trusted leaders would help attendees to feel safe in an unfamiliar environment.

The programme was attended by refugees from a wide range of cultures and ethnicities. The team engaged with a total of 32 people, with community leaders acting as translators for the range of languages spoken. These engagements included delivering 11 NHS Health Checks and 14 blood pressure checks, as well as offering support for life admin tasks that attendees struggled with.

In 2 cases, patients were screened to be high risk, which is 7% higher than in normal NHS Health Checks. But, with the help of the team, these patients were booked into their local practice the following day for full blood tests.

Lauren Park, Business and Operations Manager for Leeds GP Confederation said ‘Being able to deliver this programme in partnership with Leeds Refugee Forum and BHR PCN was really rewarding. What was so valuable about the day was the positive energy that radiated from the attendees and delivery partners.’