Traveller health and primary care in Ireland: a consultative forum

Travellers in Ireland continue to experience health disparity, cultural fragmentation and a lack of visibility in health service provision. This paper reports on a pilot study exploring factors that affect Traveller health and the experiences of primary care services from the perspectives of key Traveller health stakeholders in Ireland. The study was designed as an initial consultative forum using a single focus group (n = 13) in order to yield specific recommendations for the development of a designated primary care service framework for Travellers. A thematic analysis of the narratives identified key areas of interest--emerging issues in Traveller health, recognition of Traveller culture and ethnic identity,Traveller uptake of primary care services, the role of the primary health care Traveller (PHCT) worker, and recommendations for a primary care service framework for Travellers in Ireland. The findings highlight the importance of consulting Traveller communities in the design of a primary care service framework within each local needs analysis. The promotion of Traveller advocacy, visible access and referral pathways can therefore be achieved, with PHCT workers acting as a 'bridge' between Travellers and the designated area primary care team.