Respond is an integrated health service, based at UCLH, for people of all ages seeking asylum and refugees. Our staff are trauma-informed experts who collaborate with local, specialist, and third sector services to provide timely and compassionate care. This is a free and confidential service hosted by the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in collaboration with Children and Young People’s Division at UCLH.
Respond clinic appointments are offered via an enhanced opt-in system. Referred individuals will be contacted via telephone (with interpreter) to schedule an appointment.
A completed referral form is required to access any of the Respond services. To request a referral form and/or discuss eligibility for our services at local, regional and national level, please email: uclh.
- Primary care professionals
- Community NHS teams
- Hospital teams including acute medicine, paediatrics, ED teams, inpatient teams etc.
- Local authority staff including social workers, health visitors, Early Help teams, school nursing teams etc.
- Third sector organisations
We accept referrals from the above for any person seeking asylum or who is a refugee regardless of geographical location or borough.
Respond is not an acute or emergency service, we aim to offer an appointment within a few weeks after receiving the completed referral form.
For any medical concerns or urgent issues, please ensure people seeking asylum and refugees are supported to access GP services and urgent care pathways as needed. Where indicated, local safeguarding pathways should be followed alongside referral to Respond services.
The Respond services
This clinic provides holistic health assessments at UCLH for lone adults or family groups. The meetings are extended, nurse-led appointments consisting of a structured physical, mental, and social health enquiry. The clinics are further supported by the Respond medical team for targeted review and health intervention. An assessment includes multi-disease screening tests (incorporating a full infectious diseases screen) and is followed by integrated care planning. There may be referrals to social care, third sector organisations and other NHS services (including mental health services) are completed as indicated.
To refer please email: uclh.
- We are able to accept referrals to Respond clinics for any person seeking asylum or who is a refugee regardless of geographical location or borough.
- Adult only appointments take place at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases
- Family appointments take place in Children and Young People’s Outpatient Department
- Service leads: Dr Allison Ward and Aileen Ni Chaoilte
Information for service users
We offer appointments to check your health and wellbeing and help you to access appropriate ongoing care. Appointments are available for both children and adults, and as a family group. This is a free service. All the information you give us is confidential.
Before your appointment:
You should receive a call and text message with the date, time, and location of the appointment. Appointments are currently held at University College London Hospital (UCLH), but we also see people in community locations like hotel accommodation and GP surgeries. Interpreters are available upon request.
At your appointment:
During your appointment, we will discuss your general health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health/ wellbeing as well as social needs. Appointments will generally last for 1 hour and may include:
- Checks of your blood pressure, height and weight
- Blood, stool and urine tests for infection and other medical conditions
- Information to help you access other services and register with a GP (if you are not already registered).
- Support with needs which have already been identified by a previous screening appointment.
- Support with any other needs you may have.
If you are attending as a family, we will be discussing each family member individually and we will also discuss your needs as a family group.
After your appointment:
The nurse will support you to arrange your ongoing care and appointment with your GP or hospital doctor if you need it. We may telephone you to discuss results of your tests.
In a few weeks, you will receive a document summarising your health and wellbeing needs with a plan for your ongoing care that you can take with you if you move. Your GP will get a copy of this document to be uploaded to your GP records.
This clinic provides infectious diseases (ID) screening only at UCLH for people of all ages seeking asylum, including lone adults and family groups (including unaccompanied children seeking asylum and refugees in partnership with local Children Looked After health services). Please note this is a nurse-led appointment.
To refer please email: uclh.
- NB: For infection screening for children and young people seeking asylum or refugees unaccompanied by family members, find more information here.
- Adult only appointments take place at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases
- Appointments for family groups or children and young people take place in Children and Young People’s Outpatient Department
- Service leads: Dr Allison Ward and Aileen Ni Chaoilte
Information for service users
We offer appointments to test for various infections. Appointments are available for both children and adults, and as a family group. This is a free service. All the information you give us is confidential.
Before your appointment:
You’ll receive a call and text message with the date, time, and location of the appointment. Appointments are currently held at University College London Hospital (UCLH), but we also see people in community locations like hotel accommodation and GP surgeries. Interpreters are always available.
At your appointment:
Appointments will generally last for 45 minutes and will include blood, stool and urine tests for infection and other medical conditions.
After your appointment:
The nurse will support you to arrange your ongoing care and appointment with your GP or hospital doctor if you need it. We may telephone you to discuss results of your tests.
In a few weeks, you will receive a copy of your results and any necessary actions. If you need an appointment to treat any infections, we will arrange this for you and contact you regarding this. Your GP will get a copy of this document to be uploaded to your GP records.
This service offers general paediatric clinic appointments at UCLH to children and young people seeking asylum and refugees (CYPSAR). Children are seen by a dedicated team of paediatricians with expertise in healthcare for this group, and in trauma-informed care. This includes children and young people seeking asylum who are unaccompanied (CYPSAR-U), in partnership with local children looked after health services.
More information can be found here.
The Respond Advice and Guidance Multi-disciplinary Teams (MDT) meeting provides a regular virtual forum through Microsoft Teams for discussion and support with care planning in cases where there is significant complexity. This may be due to multiple, interconnecting health needs, safeguarding concerns and/or difficulties accessing health and well-being services.
The quorate panel consists of professionals with expertise in refugee health, mental health, safeguarding, infectious diseases and paediatrics. The meeting is also regularly supported by professionals from primary care, social care, third sector organisations and community-based health services. It acts as an important opportunity to bring key stakeholders in health and well-being together to work collaboratively to better understand and meet the health needs of people seeking asylum.
The Respond MDT meeting uses the Respond care planning framework to systematically review cases, identify areas of unmet need and make recommendations on complex case management. A copy of the terms of reference is available from uclh.
Consent is required for a professional to bring a case to the Respond MDT meeting.
To refer please email: uclh.
- We accept referrals to the Respond MDT meeting regarding any person seeking asylum or who is a refugee regardless of geographical location or borough.
- Service leads: Dr Allison Ward and Aileen Ni Chaoilte
A completed referral form is required to access any of the Respond services. To request a referral form and/or discuss eligibility for our services at local, regional and national level, please email: uclh.
- Primary care professionals Community NHS teams
- Hospital teams including acute medicine, pediatrics, ED teams, inpatient teams etc.
- Local authority staff including social workers, health visitors, Early Help teams, school nursing teams etc.
- Third sector organisations
We accept referrals from the above for any person seeking asylum or who is a refugee regardless of geographical location or borough.
Respond is not an acute or emergency service, we aim to offer an appointment within a few weeks after receiving the completed referral form.
For any medical concerns or urgent issues, please ensure people seeking asylum and refugees are supported to access GP services and urgent care pathways as needed. Where indicated, local safeguarding pathways should be followed alongside referral to Respond services.
For referral details for infection screening for Children and Young People seeking asylum or refugees unaccompanied by family members, please visit the following webpage: Children and young people’s infectious diseases, tropical medicine and parasitology service.
Our team includes health care assistants, nurses and doctors experienced in refugee and migrant health, infectious diseases, acute and primary care. We have an experienced administration team and work with clinical research fellows involved in both research and clinical services.
Staff includes:
- Alli Ward
- Sarah Eisen
- Nicky Longley
- Aileen Ni Chaoilte
- Esther King
- Rebekah Hayes
- Philippa Harris
- Paola Cinardo
- The admin team
- Sakaria Ali
- Camilla Sen
- Joanna Martin
UCLH Divisional Managers:
- Toral Pandya (Children and Young People)
- Martin Bruce (Infection)
- Can individuals or families who have been relocated as part of a government relocation programme access Respond services?
Yes, all those seeking asylum and refugees of any nationality are eligible for Respond services.
- I am interested in participating in the Respond Research Programme – how can I find out more? Respond has a wide range of academic collaborations across multiple sectors and fields.
Join one of our monthly Q&A sessions to learn more. Please email us on: uclh.
- I am an interested student or professional, how can I get involved?
Respond is currently developing an observer and elective programme, with an aim to offer placements in 2025. Up until this time, Respond is unable to accept any requests for observer and elective placements in our team. If you would like to attend one of our monthly Q&A sessions about the Respond service, please email us on: uclh.
- Does Respond accept volunteers?
Unfortunately, Respond is not able to accept volunteers. If you have any questions or queries, please email us on: uclh.
- How do I get an appointment? Currently, you are unable to refer yourself to this service.
Please contact your GP, support worker, social worker, paediatrician, or other healthcare professional who can refer you to us.
- How will I know if I have an appointment?
Before we book you an appointment, one of our team will phone you to arrange a time which works for you. Please note, this call may be from a private number. We will also send you a text message with the details of your appointment.
- Where will my appointment be?
Your appointment will be at UCLH or another venue within the community. We will text you with the location.
- How long will my appointment be?
Appointments can generally take up to 1 hour per individual. For family units, the appointments can take up to 4 hours, depending on the size of the family.
- How will I find out my results?
If there is anything urgent, we will phone you. You and your GP will always receive a letter with your results and plan.
- I don’t speak English; can I still access the service?
Yes, our services provide a telephone interpreter as required.
- Will the service help me with my asylum claim?
We are not connected to the Home Office and do not share information with them. If you need help with your asylum claim, you should contact Migrant Help, the free helpline is: 0808 8010 503.
Respond has academic affiliations with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and University College London (UCL). It is currently leading several research projects with the aim of providing crucial data on the health needs of this population and use of health services.
We are co-producing qualitative work with both service users and providers, to give much-needed insights into the experience of asylum-seekers when accessing the health system, and the staff who work with them.
The team also delivers education and training in a variety of settings. For more information, email on: uclh.respondmailbox@nhs.net.
We have strong ties with the Hospital for Tropical Diseases fellowship, offering research opportunities for doctors in training. Please email: n.
We also support a programme for Paediatric Clinical Academic Fellows interested in developing research in this area, please contact: sarah.
Donations help support the Respond service, a part of UCLH Charity, which enhances care beyond NHS provision. We aim to raise funds for a support worker with lived asylum seeker experience. Every contribution counts!
We have a JustGiving page, UCLH RESPOND Service is fundraising for University College London Hospitals Charity UK
For larger donations or more information, please email: uclh.
