Regional healthcare services for homeless people to be rolled out across NI

Nurse Michelle Doyle says the positive feedback from those using the mobile clinic in the north west has been overwhelming

Additional healthcare services for people who are homeless are to be rolled out across Northern Ireland.

Some provisions are currently in place across the region.

But the Public Health Agency (PHA) has begun work to expand those services currently on offer.

Its aim is to help vulnerable people who are homeless, and who often slip through the gaps when it comes to healthcare.

Two new mobile clinics were recently set up in the north west and Belfast.

They are run by healthcare professionals for the homeless from the local trusts, alongside the Welcome Organisation, a group that provides services for the homeless community.

A hub called the Belfast Inclusion Health Service, which is run by the Belfast Trust, was also permanently set up beside the Welcome Organisation's drop in centre in the city, following the success of its pilot in 2018.

The PHA has said the complex needs of people who are homeless differ in each of Northern Ireland's five trust areas, but that there was a need to develop regional homeless care.

Under the PHA plans, the Belfast Inclusion Health Service will be the main hub, with a smaller hub to be developed in Londonderry.

The other three trusts will have smaller health teams, but all of the teams will be linked for "specialist advice and guidance, regular meetings, training and education".

The Belfast Inclusion Health Service is based beside the Welcome Organisation's drop-in centre

A PHA spokesperson said a nurse focusing on the homeless had been funded in each of the trusts, with an additional part-time podiatrist for the Western Trust area.

Recruitment is under way.

The PHA said the nurses would develop an assessment of the homeless population's needs in their respective trust area.

18,000 homeless every year in NI

Most recent figures from the Housing Executive show that between January and June 2021, 8,610 people presented themselves as homeless in Northern Ireland.

Almost two-thirds of those were accepted as statutorily homeless.

Every year, about 18,000 households present as homeless in Northern Ireland.

That includes people who are sleeping rough, but also those affected by hidden homelessness like people in temporary accommodation, sofa surfing, people living in poor conditions and those living at risk of violence in the home.

According to the Welcome Organisation, the life expectancy of someone sleeping rough is about 43 years old.

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The new mobile unit operating in Belfast and the north west belongs to the Welcome Organisation but is run alongside staff from local health trusts.

It was the first of its kind in Northern Ireland when it first hit the streets in November 2021.

The unit travels to shelters and hostels or is often parked up on streets for harder-to-reach people who want to avail of their services.

Staff provide general healthcare checks, blood borne virus checks, flu and Covid-19 vaccines and podiatry services.

The van used is kitted out with a bed, a fridge for transporting refrigerated pharmaceuticals including vaccines, a water system and a bench where medical staff can prepare their procedures.

The mobile health clinic has been kitted out with a range of equipment

Michelle Doyle, nurse for the homeless in the Western Trust, says the mobile unit is also about getting people who are homeless back into general health services.

"As a nurse, I also do referrals to GPs and update client details because they often move around a lot and end up missing crucial appointments as their letters go out to an old address," she said.

Ms Doyle says the response to the "invaluable" service has been overwhelming as it has helped "open doors" for clients.

"The hostels and support staff are delighted to have access to the unit," she said.

Those who use it do not have to make appointments, she added.

Kieran Hughes, Welcome Organisation; Bill Higgins, driver and Michelle Doyle, nurse at the western trust

Kieran Hughes from the Welcome Organisation said he would like to see the potentially "life-saving" unit made available in every part of Northern Ireland, as the existing Belfast service is not accessible to those outside the city.

"Time on the streets can lead to serious health problems like flu or a virus that can potentially be a killer," he said.

The existing Belfast service includes nursing and GP services, dental care, podiatry, mental health support and social work.

Mr Hughes said the Covid-19 pandemic and the affect it has had on job losses and people's mental health could also potentially lead to more homelessness.

The South Eastern Trust said it provides support for people who are experiencing homelessness including visits to the Simon Community and Women's Aid during the pandemic.

The trust also helps migrant families or those seeking asylum.

The Northern Trust said it has assigned a public health nurse to each of the homeless hostels registered in the trust area.