Caring for the homeless in their own environment could prevent deaths

Homeslessness - Primary healthcare service outreach (PHSO) interventions, where patients are attended to in their own environment, could be key to improving health in the homeless population, finds a new UCL study. The life expectancy of people experiencing homelessness in the UK is currently 30 years shorter than that of the general population, and previous research has shown that a quarter of these deaths could have been prevented if a doctor had been seen in time. There are multiple barriers for the homeless population to accessing primary healthcare, from having to provide proof of address at registration, to the rigidity of appointments, stigma, and the GPs' lack of awareness of their complex healthcare and social needs. Therefore, many of the homeless population wait for their health to deteriorate to the point of needing emergency medical care at A&E before seeking help. For the new systematic scoping review, published in Family Practice , a multi-disciplinary team of UCL researchers analysed 24 studies, which considered the impact of PHSO on homeless populations in high-income countries between 2006 and 2020. PHSO may include GP community outreach, special health centres near homeless populations and mobile clinical teams in hostels. In the UK, PHSO is managed by local primary care services, general practice, community pharmacy, dental, and optometry (eye health) services.