Training local GPs: Healthcare is a human right.
While it can be hard for anyone to get an appointment at the doctor’s these days, people who are homeless face enormous and life-threatening barriers in accessing the healthcare they need.
Over 75% of people who are homeless have a physical health condition, more than twice as many compared with those of us who have a safe and secure home.
Nearly half of those who are homeless have a mental health diagnoses, and serious mental health issues such as schizophrenia, bipolar and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are far more common amongst people who are sleeping rough.*
To tackle this, last week, we ran a training course for more than 30 trainee GPs and medical practitioners from Buckinghamshire.
The aim was to equip them with knowledge of the very specific barriers to healthcare that people who are homeless face and help them know how to remove them.
Obstacles can include that people may have additional and complex needs and need longer appointments, chaperones and in some cases translators. People without a home may struggle to keep, store and regularly take medication; pay for prescriptions or even be able to book appointments as they often can’t afford to stay on hold. People may have trouble travelling to appointments let alone navigating an increasingly stretched health system.
Our friend Dr Rob Schafer, pictured left, from the award winning Luther Street Medical Centre, a GP surgery which provides healthcare to people experiencing homelessness in Oxford City, joined our CEO James Boultbee to share insights into how GPs can provide appropriate and effective healthcare to people who are homeless, given the particular difficulties they can face.
One attendee commented: “It has been so insightful. James and Dr Rob are a great combination. Between them they have a wealth of experience and this session has been a great learning experience.”
Another shared: “I grew up in the Wycombe area and expect to work locally when I have completed my training. Even being familiar with the town I was surprised to hear of the level of need there is.”
This cutting edge training has ensured that training GPs and medical professionals across south Bucks are equipped with knowledge of the very specific challenges that homeless people have, what support is already available and how GPs and charities like us can work together.