Access to and use of out-of-hours services by members of Vietnamese community groups in South London: a focus group study

Background. Communication difficulties, lack of knowledge of services and t he appropriateness of services influence access to health care services by black and ethnic minority groups. These problems may be accentuated outside normal working hours. This may be so particularly for those who do not spe ak English as a first language, as interpreting services across the UK are extremely limited in the out-of-hours period. Objective. We aimed to describe the experiences and perceptions of members of the Vietnamese community groups in seeking out-of-hours health services and to identify potential solutions from participants' perspectives. Method. This qualitative study used a focus group methodology. Participants were members of three established community groups in the South London bor oughs of Southwark and Lewisham. Participants attended six focus groups whi ch were conducted in Cantonese and Vietnamese. Results. Participants did not know about GPs' out-of-hours arrangements. An d their access to the range of services normally available was limited. The y were unable to communicate with health care professionals or answering se rvices and were unaware of out-of-hours interpreting arrangements. Generall y, participants were dependent on other people in gaining access to service s. Some participants had used 999 services despite communication problems. Participants' experienced delays in seeking health care services and confus ion regarding the medicines and advice given. Conclusions. Communication difficulties limited knowledge of and access to out-of-hours services for the Vietnamese participants. Direct contact with interpreters in the out-of-hours period was suggested as a means of increas ing participants' ability to gain access to services. Health service planne rs need to be aware of the difficulties experienced by such groups if issue s of equity in gaining access to health care services are to be addressed.