Health Status of Gypsies and Travellers

Gypsy and Traveller communities have the same right to NHS healthcare services as any other citizens in this country. Gypsy Travellers have significantly poorer health status and significantly more self-reported symptoms of ill-health than other UK-resident, English speaking ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged white UK residents.

 Gypsy Caravan - black and white photo

Gypsy Travellers have poorer health than that of their age sex matched comparators.

So why do they have such poor health outcomes, regardless if they are mobile or settled?

  • Is it Travellers health beliefs and attitudes to health services which demonstrate a cultural pride in self reliance. There is stoicism and tolerance of chronic ill health, with a deep rooted fear of cancer or other diagnosis perceived as terminal and hence avoidance of screening. Some fatalistic attitudes to illness are expressed seeing illness as inevitable and medical intervention unlikely to make a difference. There is more trust in family care than Professional care.
  • Is it the lack of cultural knowledge on the part of the health service can create barriers to accessing healthcare.

Or Is it the history of English Romany Gypsies?

  • 1505 first written record of their arrival in England
  • 25 years later the first law expelling Gypsies
  • 24 years after that being a Gypsy was punishable by death

Gypsy Caravan

Findings-Emerging Lifestyle issues

  • High rates of smoking
  • High rates of obesity
  • High numbers with long term ill health
  • High numbers caring
  • Less take up of preventative health care
  • Low levels of fruit and vegetables eaten

How can we help?

The Health Report 'Making a Difference' concluded that there is a clear need for:

  • health education, improved access to health care and extended roles of professionals
  • inservice training for health workers on interculturalism and negative stereotyping of Travellers
  • a more flexible and imaginative way of taking services to Travellers and identifying GP's who can work well with Travellers

Travellers are thought to have the poorest health of any minority community in the UK, have difficulty accessing services and experience discrimination in all areas of life.

  • Life expectancy for Gypsy and Traveller men and women is 10 years lower than the national average
  • Gypsy and Traveller mothers are 20 times more likely than the rest of the population to have experienced the death of a child and or miscarriages
 Gypsy Camp
  • Gypsy and Traveller children are more likely to have low birth weight and high child accident rates
  • Traveller children are between one-and-a-half and two times more likely to die in the first year of life than children in the settled community
  • Traveller children have the poorest health of any minority community in the UK
  • Over 70% of traveller children experience dental caries., with one third of all Travellers having never seen a dentist.
  • Health problems amongst Gypsy and Travellers are between two and five times more common than the settled community
  • In later life Gypsy and Traveller adults suffer higher rates of long-term illness, ill health or disability, limiting their ability to lead a ‘normal’ life. Among the significantly higher rates of illness are respiratory disease, heart disease, chronic pain and sensory difficulties. Mental health problems such as anxiety and depression are also significantly more prevalent.


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