Doctors of the World and Médecins Sans Frontières call for site in Essex to be closed as a matter of urgency
In a short new report published on Friday, Doctors of the World (DOTW) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) detail a mental health crisis among asylum seekers being housed at the former RAF base in Wethersfield, Essex.
The 15-page report is here.
DOTW and MSF have been providing primary healthcare at Wethersfield since November 2023 via a mobile clinic service situated outside the main gates. Based on their observations and medical data, the two medical charities called on the Government to immediately close the site and abandon the policy of using similar mass containment sites to accommodate asylum seekers.
DOTW and MSF said they are witnessing mental health crises unfold amongst the men held at Wethersfield. Approximately 580 men are living at the site, and DOTW and MSF found that 74% of their 122 patients presented with severe psychological distress. Of those patients, 41% percent experienced suicidal ideation. There have been a number of suicide attempts at the site.
MSF's Dr Kate Morgan said: "Our patients come to us seeking help and support because this place is unsuitable for healing and good mental health."
The report describes how conditions at Wethersfield and the uncertainty caused by the Illegal Migration Act 2023 are exacerbating mental health issues. Wethersfield is described as being prison-like in its structure, and there is a severe lack of privacy, freedom and agency.
"With between three and six men to a bedroom, shared toilets and showers and other facilities, there is a significant lack of privacy for men at Wethersfield. 39% (48/122) of our patients reported overcrowding and room sharing leading to lack of privacy, noise and light disrupting sleep as a major issue. … Our clinicians have observed that this chronic sleep disturbance means men often only fall asleep in the mornings and were frequently exhausted as a result. … There is a complete absence of agency and control in all aspects of life for the men in Wethersfield", the report highlights.
Nearly all of DOTW and MSF's patients at Wethersfield are subject to the Illegal Migration Act, meaning their asylum claims are deemed inadmissible and are not being processed. This leaves the men 'trapped in legal limbo'.
DOTW and MSF noted: "In most instances, men held in Wethersfield have no clarity on how long they will be held there for, nor given any detailed information about the asylum process, which is generating huge uncertainty and rumours amongst men onsite, inevitably impacting their mental health. In reality, there is no upper limit on how long a person will stay at Wethersfield."
The report further notes that there is a concerning lack of legal advice for those at the site.
"We rarely see patients who have access to legal advice and there are broad concerns there is very little access to information about legal advice or support for the men in Wethersfield. Migrant Help, an organisation commissioned by the Home Office to provide advice to people seeking asylum, are not currently onsite and are therefore limited in their ability to support the men. There is confusion amongst residents about their legal status, whether they have submitted an asylum claim since they arrived in the UK and whether their claim is being processed," DOTW and MSF said.
According to data exclusively given to ITV News by DOTW and the Helen Bamber Foundation, there were between 5 and 10 suicide attempts at Wethersfield in January 2024 alone. One man from Afghanistan at the site, who ended up in hospital after he jumped from a window, was quoted as saying: "Everyone was trying to kill himself… I saw people jump from everywhere in the camp, from windows, from the buildings."
Shalini Patel of Duncan Lewis solicitors told ITV News: "There seems to be a huge failure by the Home Office to undertake risk and safeguarding measures… The Home Office's policy very clearly states victims of torture, victims of trafficking, anyone with mental health or physical disabilities should not be accommodated at the site, yet we have been instructed by tens of individuals, and none of them are suitable to be accommodated there."
In response to the issues raised by DOTW and MSF, a Home Office spokesperson told ITV: "We take the safety and welfare of those at Wethersfield extremely seriously. Welfare officers are on site round the clock and all residents have access to a GP service delivered by a local healthcare provider including mental health support. A 24/7 helpline provided by Migrant Help is available to raise any concerns."
Home Secretary James Cleverly suggested to ITV News that people were lying about their mental state. Responding to ITV News' findings, the Home Secretary said: "The simple truth is, often when people come to this country illegally they do lie to further their own causes."