Northwick Park and Ealing hospitals are offering extra help for homeless patients through a dedicated team that tackles both medical and social issues.
The homelessness team, which supports up to 40 patients a month, provides care for people admitted with conditions such as skin ulcers, scabies, malnutrition and frostbite. Numbers tend to rise during the winter.
The team includes GPs, nurses, an occupational therapist, and two housing officers. Together, they help treat patients while also assisting with accommodation, benefit claims and tracking down missing documents like birth certificates or passports.
Joe Laws, Housing Link Officer, said: “People are often admitted with no ID, so it takes a bit of detective work to build up a picture of who they are.
“We have good links with community and voluntary groups like St Mungo’s and use a database called CHAIN which details homeless people’s interactions with these groups on the street.”
Joe regularly visits patients on the wards who have been identified as homeless.
“It is important not to judge people. There are a lot of reasons why people find themselves homeless and it isn’t always to do with substance abuse or criminal activity.”
Ealing has the second highest number of homeless people in London, with around 2,000 individuals. However, there has been a 24% drop in the past year thanks to joined-up work by services like the homelessness team.
The local integrated care board provides a personal health budget for homeless patients, which is used to pay for basic items including a mobile phone, toiletries and clothing. Nurses also follow up with patients in the community after discharge.
Joe, who was born in Ealing Hospital, added: “I’m a jack-of-all-trades really and always happy to help. I can also be found giving patients a haircut if they need one.”
The team is currently appealing for donations of clothes for patients. Anyone wishing to help is asked to email lnwh-tr.homelesspathway@nhs.net before bringing items to the hospital.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
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