Homeless health bus service expands with new car

Outreach nurse Chrissie Croucher will be the main driver of the new car

A charity that provides on-street medical support to homeless people in Dorset is expanding its service with a new electric vehicle (EV).

The HealthBus Trust runs a mobile surgery from a van, offering first aid and on-street triage to rough sleepers.

It said the single-crewed electric car would be able to cover a much wider area across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and help more people.

The charity described the addition to its fleet as "a blessing".

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset Angus Campbell said: "Their first bus was just an amazing thing anyway.

"There are some really touching stories that started it off and a huge number of people supporting it, not surprisingly."

'Building trust'

Outreach nurse Chrissie Croucher said: "I think being able to be out and about, be accessible, walk up to the soup kitchens and to people sleeping in doorways - it's going to be such a blessing.

"The biggest thing is building relationships - a lot of people have been let down in life and, in terms of their healthcare, things may have broken down along the way.

"Our team is sometimes the first face of healthcare so it's about building that trust and being able to move them to the next stage and accessing the care that they need."

The car was funded by JP Morgan and the Hendy Foundation.

The HealthBus was founded by Boscombe GP Dr Maggie Kirk in 2016 as part of her efforts to tackle health inequalities.

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