Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for people seeking sanctuary
Manchester has a long history of offering a safe home to people seeking sanctuary. The number of people seeking sanctuary in the UK and Europe has increased in recent years. People fleeing conflict or humanitarian crises, undocumented migrants, refugees, people claiming asylum and those who have been trafficked may be more vulnerable than other migrants. The delivery of healthcare services to these groups can be complex and has implications for health systems and front-line clinicians tasked with meeting the needs of these diverse populations.
The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012) states that every local authority must produce a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) covering the population(s) within its area. Local Health and Wellbeing Boards are statutorily responsible for assessing the health and wellbeing needs of their population and for publishing a JSNA. Local partners are responsible for agreeing the content, format and frequency of update of the JSNA. There are no national standards for this. Local authorities, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and NHS England must have regard to the JSNA when planning health and care services for the populations that they are responsible for serving.
This Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) 2025 provides a summary of the evidence and data regarding the needs of people seeking sanctuary, defined as people claiming asylum, people granted refugee status and people who have experienced displacement. The JSNA describes some of the issues that have been shown to affect the health and wellbeing of people seeking sanctuary, what we know about the size and distribution of these groups of people in Manchester, and what members of these communities and the services that work with them, have told us about their experiences.
It also describes what Manchester City Council, the NHS and other organisations working in the city are doing to support people seeking sanctuary and some of the opportunities for action that exist.
Agenda for Health and Wellbeing Board on Wednesday, 4th June, 2025, 10.00 am