Meeting the healthcare needs of people experiencing homelessness
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Meeting the healthcare needs of people experiencing homelessness

Samantha Dorney-Smith Nursing fellow, Pathway, London, England
Kendra Schneller Nurse practitioner, Health Inclusion Team, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, England
Serena Aboim Nurse practitioner, Health Inclusion Team, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, England
Maxine Radcliffe Independent inclusion health nurse consultant, Dublin, Ireland
Nicky Tanner Nurse practitioner and homelessness lead, Medway Community Healthcare, Gillingham
Rosa Ungpakorn Homeless health nurse practitioner, Homeless Health Westminster, Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England
Ruth O’Brien Nurse manager, Greenlight Medical Van, Hillsong Church, London, England
Amy Hall Nurse practitioner, Health Inclusion Team, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand the needs of people who are experiencing homelessness and the health challenges they may encounter to reduce health inequalities

  • To be aware of the services and nurse-led interventions available for people who are experiencing homelessness

  • To count towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD, or you may wish to write a reflective account (UK readers)

  • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)

People experiencing homelessness have unique healthcare and health promotion needs. This article provides nurses with information on the healthcare challenges that commonly affect people who are experiencing homelessness, and outlines various effective nurse-led interventions that can be implemented. It provides examples of nurse-led health promotion projects, which demonstrate how a collaborative approach can improve the healthcare experiences of this patient group. This article also examines the issue of homelessness and mental capacity, as well as explaining the role of physical health outreach services in caring for people experiencing homelessness.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11155

Citation

Dorney-Smith S, Schneller K, Aboim S et al (2018) Meeting the healthcare needs of people experiencing homelessness. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11155

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@lnnmhomeless

Correspondence

samantha.dorney-smith@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Published online: 20 September 2018

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