Promoting migrant health as a universal right in the United Kingdom

Migrants arriving in the United Kingdom (UK), many of whom experience vulnerability before and during migration, face a double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases shaped by cumulative exposures in their countries of origin, across the migration journey, and compounded by fragmented access to care upon arrival. Despite improvements in pre-entry health assessments, post-arrival provision in reception centres remains inconsistent, with significant gaps in infectious disease screening, mental health support, medication continuity, and timely registration with a general practitioner (GP). Community-led initiatives like Doctors of the World's Safe Surgeries and the Oxford Refugee Health Initiative promote inclusive healthcare access, yet remain limited in scale. Using a social determinants of health (SDH) lens, this perspective highlights how structural barriers-including overcrowded accommodation, language challenges, and unclear entitlements-undermine the effectiveness of existing health policies and widen inequalities. We propose an essential care package for UK migrant reception centres that integrates early screening, stable access to medicines, mental health assessment, environmental health measures, and robust continuity of care for non-communicable diseases through clear referral pathways into the National Health Service (NHS). Embedding this approach within current public health infrastructure would reduce preventable morbidity, strengthen health system efficiency, and advance the UK's commitment to Sustainable Development Goals. Strengthening care at the point of arrival is therefore critical to promoting health equity and ensuring that no one is left behind.