New mobile health service launched to serve homeless people in Peterborough

A new mobile health service that will offer those who are homeless access to NHS services has arrived in Peterborough.

The Health Outreach Bus scheme has been led by Light Project Peterborough and has received £100,000 of funding from NHS Charities Together to enable the purchase of the bus.

The scheme will also be funded by NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough along with Peterborough City Council.

The bus will provide health and care assessments as well as giving on-going access and referrals to a range of necessary NHS health and care services, provided by NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, part of the Integrated Care System (ICS).

Typical treatment aboard the bus will range from dry blood spot testing to flu vaccinations, and basic eye tests to minor medical treatments such as dressing wounds and treating infections.

Steven Pettican, Chief Executive Officer at Light Project Peterborough, said: “We are delighted to be working with health colleagues on such an important project.

"We continue to work to improve the outcomes of those most struggling and this new health hub once again shows the tireless work of the charities staff and volunteers.”

Light Project Peterborough has provided Peterborough’s daytime centre for the homeless community since October 2018.

Having already established relationships with supported housing providers, soup kitchens and outreach teams, plans are being made about where in the city the Health Outreach Bus should travel to.

Dr Gary Howsam, Chief Clinical Improvement Officer at NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “We’re proud to be working in partnership on this important project to ensure that people who are homeless or rough sleeping have their health needs looked at. Together, we can tackle health inequalities by providing access to quality health and care, and therefore preventing potentially undiagnosed conditions from becoming emergencies.”

The £100,000 worth of funding from NHS Charities Together will also go towards ongoing support from The Light Project Peterborough and the ICS Integrated Neighbourhoods team to continue delivery of the project to the community.

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together, said: “We are thrilled to have provided funding for The Health Outreach Bus, which will provide important support for those who are homeless and rough sleeping in Peterborough.

"By improving access to vital healthcare for this community and preventing healthcare emergencies, we hope this initiative will also help tackle ongoing pressures on local NHS services.”

To access further quality primary care and support any referrals to other NHS services, those in the homeless and rough sleeping community, who visit the Outreach Health Bus and are not registered with a GP surgery, will be invited to register with Boroughbury Medical Centre.