Greenlight

A cool, dark night for our rough sleepers; an indicator of what's to come and a change in their needs. It's time to start equipping our #homeless with warm clothing to prevent #Health conditions like chilblains and frostbite. #London #WinterIsComing

We're constantly aiming to improve the service we offer to the #homeless by ensuring all our #Medical team are providing the gold standard advice and treatments available. Monthly Medic Forums are a great way to enhance care for and knowledge about #RoughSleepers #London

"My mum just died and now I have no one I can speak to". We're out on the streets 7 days a week speaking to people like this who feel there is no one who will listen. We don't just offer medical help, we also offer an ear to those who need it. goo.gl/images/RLeLH5

By providing regular #health checks and minimally invasive treatments every day of the week, we're seeing our #homeless become more interested and involved in their own #Wellbeing. The more involved they become, the more value they start to see in themselves. #London

It's good to see our service users accessing Greenlight for routine #health checks. We can keep a close eye on them and refer them on to their GP for further care when concerns arise. #Prevention is better than cure!

Signposting: Our #Homeless often don't know what #healthcare services to access or how they can access them. Directing and educating the homeless doesn't just give them the next step to take, it gives them hope.

There's been a large increase in the amount of heat-related #foothealth conditions in the #homeless lately; Athlete's foot, rashes and blisters occasionally resulting in ulceration are common. Fresh socks, fresh air and clean shoes help improve these #health conditions.

Recent research by St Mungo's has identified 80% of deaths amongst the #Homeless occur in those with #mentalhealth issues. Providing a generous ear to those with mental health issues and reassuring the homeless that they can access a GP who can help is vital.

We're starting to see more heat-related skin conditions in the #homeless. As the weather heats up, poor access to washing facilities means those sweaty clothes and shoes retain all those odours and bacteria. Clean socks and underwear can make a huge difference to one's #hygiene!

In a survey of #homeless people, it found they… instagram.com/p/BjxSb7Jhz-g/…

Food, a roof over your head and access to healthcare; all essentials in life and all are things the #homeless struggle with each day. Greenlight provides #Health assessments while partnering with other organisations to ensure our homeless don't go without these essentials.

#DrugAbuse in the #homeless can be used as a means of coping with #mentalhealth issues, mainly anxiety and stress. Psychological management techniques can reduce mental health issues and drug use; support from family, friends, and our medics on team, is vital during this process.

78% of those that are #homeless report physical #health problems. Identifying these problems early on can prevent chronic health issues from developing. Providing health screening checks and #education is the first step!

Just like the cold, heat also affects the #Homeless. #BloodPressure drops and difficulty controlling #diabetes are two issues to keep your eye out for. Simply asking "Are you ok?" can help identify potential #Health concerns...a cold glass of water helps as well!

The #homeless have high rates of #mentalhealth issues; just smiling at a homeless person or having a chat to them can positively change their day as they often feel no one will listen or cares #MentalHealthAwareness

Education and language; barriers for the #homeless. We need to make sure they are aware of and understand that they can access #healthcare regardless of whether they're homeless or not.

Inspiring to see some rough sleepers moving in to proper housing and wanting to improve their #health by reducing their drug and #alcoholabuse. Direction and advice from our medics about kicking these habits helps enable the next step on their journey #homeless

#Homelessness has a huge impact on individual health and can make it difficult to get help,… instagram.com/p/Bg3qFn-BjBY/

Giving each our service users the time they need is important when #signposting health concerns. We're finding that providing service users with GP referral letters explaining our findings, that they are much more likely to access #healthcare as they will feel better understood