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‘Nothing about us, without us’: how GRT-trained nurses are centring Gypsy, Roma and Traveller women in healthcare
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Surrey Gypsy Traveller Communities Forum tells us how trust and insight are essential in improving healthcare for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) women.
A Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) Women’s Health Group has recently been launched by Dee Cooper with the support of Surrey Gypsy Traveller Communities Forum.
As a Romany Gypsy herself, Dee has been the driving force behind the creation of the Group which is entirely led by GRT women, for GRT women. She has also been instrumental in developing its innovative approach in joining up the Group with a network of NHS nurses who have specialist GRT training.
Community-led Health for GRT Women
The Group enables GRT women to identify their health needs and to discuss their experiences of using health services with the nurses and other women from the community.
Guest speakers are invited to provide information and advice on a wide range of health-related topics, and women are given the opportunity to speak privately with nurses in breakout rooms to receive one-to-one care.
Gaining Insight, Building Trust
The nurses who support and attend the group have gained extensive, first-hand experience of working within the community. They have invaluable insight into GRT cultures and an understanding of the barriers that GRT people face in accessing and receiving healthcare, and into the racism they are often subjected to.
Embracing the community’s principle of ‘nothing about us, without us’, the nurses centre GRT women in their own healthcare and avoid a ‘tick-box exercise’ approach to engagement. By adopting a non-judgemental attitude and advocating for GRT needs in health services, they have built a relationship of trust with the GRT community.
Early Success
Though only a few months old, the Group is already having a positive impact on the lives of GRT women. Following its first meeting, one of the women arranged an appointment for a cervical screening she had been avoiding for years.
It’s also providing a means for women in the community to tackle social isolation. There is a misconception that GRT people, as members of close-knit communities, don’t suffer isolation. But this is not the case for those who live in remote, rural areas, who may lead more solitary lives. The Group allows women to form new relationships and to open up about subjects they might not otherwise be able to.
Topics covered are serious, but there is a sense of fun; medical jargon is avoided, and women speak openly about their experiences over a cup of tea. Women from all the diverse groups within GRT communities attend, and the nurses listen to what’s going wrong and work to improve health outcomes.
Future plans
Group organisers are creating an online register and taking steps to create a network of nurses and GRT Women’s Groups right across the UK.
The aim is to provide ambassadors to run their own meetings locally, as well as a channel for all GRT communities across the UK to come together. The whole community can then work with the network of nurses and say what is needed so health services can be improved.
The Importance of Networking
It’s through networking, including through the Public Engagement Network (PEN), that Surrey Gypsy Traveller Communities Forum hopes to join forces with other groups who face similar issues in accessing and receiving healthcare. In doing so, it is hoped that more needs will be recognised and met, that more voices and lived experiences will be heard, and that groups can work together to make a positive difference across health and social care.
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller women may email Grtwomenshealth@yahoo.com to join the group. If emailing from an organisation, please include your organisation name in the email.
