London GPs working with homeless back helpline campaign that will 'save lives'
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Their support comes with a promise from an NHS body improving treatment for the homeless in the capital that medics will have details of the Young and Homeless Helpline to recommend to patients.
The helpline, to launch in February, will be part of information the London Homeless Health Programme provides for front-line staff across London.
The Standard is raising money to assist charity Centrepoint in launching the first national advice and support helpline for the growing numbers of young people aged 16-25 who are facing homelessness or already sleeping rough.
It will fill a void in support for them - helping with issues including mental health, addiction and family breakdown.
More than 150,000 young people facing homelessness seek housing support from councils each year - but up to a third are turned away without help or advice.
Lambeth GP Dr Adrian McLachlan, clinical lead for the London Homeless Health Programme, said the helpline could assist in saving lives.
“On all sides there is a lack of clarity or widespread understanding of what support people are eligible to receive,” he said.
“It is important people know the services they are eligible for and get the support they deserve.”
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Rob's story
“A helpline like Centrepoint’s could have helped me avoid years on the streets,” says Rob Edgar.
Instead he spent more than two decades on and off sleeping rough after falling into the clutches of drug dealers.
Mr Edgar, 42, who sits on the NHS London Homeless Health Programme board, first became homeless in 1992 when he was 17.
He had lost his live-in job as a waiter in a hotel near Heathrow airport, which he had found after running away from home. With nowhere to go, he ended up sleeping on the floor of a drug dealer’s flat, selling Ecstasy in London clubs to keep a roof over his head.
He said: “It was a horrible experience, I was treated like a dog. Life is very tough on the streets and you don’t know where to turn. That’s how I ended up selling drugs, just to get somewhere to stay.”
Fearing for his safety, he left but became hooked on drugs — taking Ecstasy to help him survive on the streets and sleeping in the coal stores in front gardens of Earl’s Court townhouses.
That experience fuelled a 20-year battle with mental health issues and addiction which saw him drift in and out of hostels, often ending up back on the street.
He believes that if the Centrepoint helpline had been running, he could have received support before he became long-term homeless. Mr Edgar said: “Things spiralled out of control. I tried to call Childline but they couldn’t help. The lack of support set me on the path to 20 years’ lost life as homeless.”
Mr Edgar, below, is a peer research project worker for charity Groundswell, helping the NHS programme improve homeless people’s access to health services.
He said: “The work we are doing is vital. We help them make their appointments and get the help they need. There are so many complex issues with being homeless and we are helping the NHS understand that better.”
Dr Mary Ursula Hickey, who has run a homeless drop-in surgery, the Dr Hickey Surgery, in Westminster for 20 years, said: “Early intervention is key.
"There is a spiral that can happen very quickly as people get on to the street. Their health can deteriorate very fast. Having safe accommodation is vital in treating people’s health needs.
"The helpline will be a lifeline for young people.”
Dr Paul O’Reilly, who works with Dr Hickey, said: “The helpline can make a huge difference through support and signposting of services. Often homeless people just aren’t aware of services or are given out-of-date information.”
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The doctors’ support comes as the NHS in London has begun a drive to improve access to GP services for rough sleepers and the “hidden homeless” including “sofa surfers”.
Health bosses have admitted that GP surgery receptionists are turning such people away as they do not have a fixed address. A drive has been launched to ensure staff are properly trained.
Homeless people are nearly 40 times more likely not to be registered with a GP than the general population, says homelessness charity Crisis - and five times more likely to use A&E, according to the NHS.
Rates of drug and alcohol dependence are very high among rough sleepers. Mental health, dental health and foot health are often poor, and respiratory disease is common.
This week 10,000 “right to access health care cards” are being distributed to help homeless people register and receive treatment at GP practices.
Stamatia Lorentzou, Centrepoint’s clinical lead, welcomed the moves, saying: “More needs to be done to help homeless young people access health services, so this is an excellent step.”
The Evening Standard's Homeless Helpline appeal is raising money for the Centrepoint Helpline, a brand new support service that will save young people from ending up on the streets.
To donate please visit our Just Giving page.