The health of Britain's Polish migrants: a suitable case for history taking and examination

In 2004 eight new countries (the A8) were admitted into the European Union (EU), allowing their citizens full rights of settlement and employment in the UK. Initial estimates by the Labour government were that between 5000 and 13 000 people would migrate to the UK, which proved a gross underestimate. Although exact population data is difficult to obtain precisely because of free movement, it is estimated that at least 2 million have actually done so, around half this number from Poland alone.1 This migration has had a significant impact on both the UK and the migrants themselves, including their health. Little has been published about health issues affecting the Polish community, which begs the question: what does the piecemeal evidence so far suggest? In short, it is cause for concern. Polish organisations are reporting high levels of suicide, depression, and poverty amongst migrant workers.2 Most worrying are unreleased figures from the Polish embassy indicating that a fifth of the 250 Poles who died in Britain in 2007 took their own lives.2 The emerging data has prompted MP Daniel Kawczynski, who is of Polish descent, to call upon the Polish government to improve support services for this population.2 The causes of …