Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Aug 28;45(3):e486-e493.
doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdad020.

'What does good look like'-exploring access to healthcare for the homeless population in Gateshead, England

Sadie Perkin  1 , Shelina Visram  2 , Laura Lindsey  3
Affiliations

'What does good look like'-exploring access to healthcare for the homeless population in Gateshead, England

Sadie Perkin et al. J Public Health (Oxf). .

Abstract

Background: individuals who are homeless encounter extreme health inequalities and as a result often suffer poor health. This study aims to explore ways in which access to healthcare could be improved for individuals who are homeless in Gateshead, UK.

Methods: twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with people working with the homeless community in a non-clinical setting. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: six themes were identified under the broad category of 'what does good look like', in terms of improving access to healthcare. These were: facilitating GP registration; training to reduce stigma and to provide more holistic care; joined-up working in which existing services communicate rather than work in isolation; utilising the voluntary sector as support workers could actively support access to healthcare and provide advocacy; specialised roles such as specialised clinicians, mental health workers or link workers; and specialised bespoke services for the homeless community.

Conclusions: the study revealed issues locally for the homeless community accessing healthcare. Many of the proposed actions to facilitate access to healthcare involved building upon good practice and enhancing existing services. The feasibility and cost-effectiveness of interventions suggested requires further assessment.

Keywords: access to healthcare; health inequalities; homelessness; interviews; qualitative research; support workers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

At the time of conducing the research, the lead author (SP) was working in Gateshead Council as a public health registrar. Three study participants were employed by the same organisation but were not previously known to SP. The co-authors (SV and LL) have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Stages of AI: the 4D model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hertzberg DB, Boobis S. The Unhealthy State of Homelessness: Findings from the Homeless Health Needs Audit, 2022. https://homelesslink-1b54.kxcdn.com/media/documents/Unhealthy_State_of_H....
    1. Medcalf P, Russell GK. Homeless healthcare: raising the standards. Clin Med 2014;14(4):349–53. - PMC - PubMed
    1. ONS . Deaths of Homeless People in England and Wales: 2019 Registrations. Office for National Statistics, 2020. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarri... (22 March 2022, date last accessed).
    1. Department of Health and Social Care . The NHS constitution for England. Gov.uk. 2015. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-engl... (15 August 2020, date last accessed).
    1. Elwell-Sutton T, Fok J, Albanese F et al. Factors associated with access to care and healthcare utilization in the homeless population of England. J Public Health 2017;39(1):26–33. - PubMed