Hastings Homeless Service
The Hastings Homeless Service works to improve accessibility to
health care for homeless and vulnerably housed people.
We are always looking for new team
members:
- General volunteers - who
give invaluable support to homeless and vulnerable people
- Volunteer nurses - to lead our primary
healthcare clinics for some of the most marginalised members of our
community, who often find NHS healthcare difficult to access.
If you think this may be for you, please
email: roger.nuttall@sussex.sja.org.uk for
an application pack, or ring 01424 435358.
Get your Socks off!
Did you know that
something as cheap and simple as a clean, dry
pair of socks can be enough to nip a case of trench
foot in the bud?
Homeless people tend to wear their socks and shoes 24 hours /
day,
causing their feet to be cold and wet for prolonged periods,
often leading to the beginnings of trench foot, like the
client pictured here, who received treatment at our
healthcare clinic.
The Homeless Service is always in need of new or good
second-hand men's socks.
If you are able to donate some socks, please contact the
Homeless Service (details below) to arrange delivery, or simply
post them to:
St John Ambulance Homeless Service, Bohemia Road, Hastings TN34
1ET.
Where can you find us?
The service runs four nurse-led, primary health care clinic
sessions per week at the Seaview Project day-centre in St
Leonards-on-Sea.
- Monday: 12-2pm
- Tuesday: 12-2pm
- Thursday: 12-2pm
- Friday: 12-2pm.
The day centre is open to all vulnerable people
who may have mental health, housing or other support needs.
Nurse prescribing
The Hastings Coordinator is a trained nurse
qualified to give prescriptions. This enables clients to receive
complete health care provision for acute
conditions, minor ailments and health promotion.
Clients with chronic disease management are often referred to
GPs and help is given to register those currently without a GP.
Partnerships
Conquest Hospital Service – Following a
referral from the Conquest Hospital Discharge Sister,
homeless inpatients are visited and assessed on
the wards by the Homeless Service team as early as possible during
their hospital stay.
The team liaise with other health and housing agencies to plan
the best possible discharge, including re-housing
if possible, follow-up health care and
advocacy. Support is usually continued after the
patient’s discharge.
Homeless patients attending A&E are also
referred and are generally signposted to the services at Seaview,
where the Homeless Service team will follow them up.
The Conquest Hospital Service is funded by the Big Lottery from
January 2011.
Hope Kitchen – The Homeless Service provides a
fortnightly health outreach session at the soup
kitchen in Wellington Square, Hastings town centre, on a Saturday
evening.
Sanctuary Carr- Gomm - We deliver
occasional first aid training and group
health discussions at Bal Edmund and Merrick
House: Supported Accommodation Projects in St Leonards, run
by Carr-Gomm Housing Association, and provide individual
health care for residents when needed.
What we can do
The services are nurse-led with the support of volunteers and
include:
- discussion and assessment of current health
concerns and advice on individual health promotion (e.g. nutrition,
weight)
- mental health care, support and advocacy to local services
- general and respiratory health assessments
- group health education sessions (e.g. men's health, sexual
health)
- specialist wound care
- specialist podiatry (foot care)
- referrals to appropriate services
- general, social support and time to listen
- first aid
- stop smoking support, including prescribing nicotine
replacements
- nurse prescribing of medication for minor ailments and
infections
- pregnancy testing and chlamydia screening
- winter flu jabs
- provision of socks, shoes, space blankets, sun cream and
other items
- monitoring of chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood
pressure
- dental care advice and cervical screening (in conjunction
with local NHS services).
What we cannot do
- needle exchange
- securing accommodation (but we will speak to housing services
on clients' behalf)
- prescribing for substance misuse
- prescribing for chronic disorders (e.g. diabetes and
respiratory conditions).
The Hastings Homeless service does not provide patient transport
or first aid cover at public events. For information on these
services contact the local St John Ambulance
unit in Hastings.
Contact us
For all enquiries relating to the Hastings Homeless Service,
please ring Nurse Co-ordinator, Roger Nuttall on: 01424 435358
or email: roger.nuttall@sussex.sja.org.uk
Volunteering with the Homeless Service
Learn about the
training we provide and who to contact if you would like to
volunteer.