“The Health Hub has become more than just a service; it’s a cornerstone of trust, a gateway to change, and a statement that everyone, no matter their situation, deserves care and dignity.”
Bromley GP Alliance (BGPA) is proud to be entering the third year of the Bromley Homeless Health Project. BGPA, working in partnership with Bromley Homeless charity, provides a Nurse Practitioner led health hub that offers both appointment and walk-in consultations to many homeless clients that may not have immediate access to a GP, providing high quality care to the most vulnerable in the borough. During these appointments, clients are offered a full health assessment and can ask any questions surrounding their health. The nurse practitioner will provide vaccinations, referrals if necessary and is able to prescribe. Clients also benefit from other key in-house services, such as a nail-cutting service and optician visits.
We encourage our member practices to continue to engage with the Homeless Health Project and, in doing so, supports day-to-day pressures by diverting clients presenting with complex issues into the hub.
The project has seen over 200 clients to date, with over half of these receiving same-day assessment. What was sad to hear verbalised was patients saying that they would have panicked, suffered in pain, become confused or died.
This project has led the way in trying to address some of the challenges, particularly the frequent barriers to accessing mainstream healthcare due to, among other things, a lack of a fixed address, mental health challenges, stigma and logistic difficulties. For these reasons, patients delay or avoid seeking care, causing a further deterioration of their health, and therefore leading to an increased use of the urgent treatment centres and A&E.
The project is having a big and beneficial impact on the wider healthcare system by reducing hospital attendances and by removing the challenge of assessing and managing these often very complex patients, as well as giving them hope.
People experiencing homelessness (PEH):
- is increasing,
- are among the most marginalised group in our society,
- face many health problems and have a significantly lower life expectancy,
- face many barriers in accessing health care,
- are repeatedly forgotten in health care strategies.
BGPA would like to thank South East London ICB, and our One Bromley partners, for their continued support with this project, recognising its extensive benefit to Bromley’s homeless community.
Bromley Homeless Service Manager, Kim Sutton: “Over the past three years, our joint partnership with Bromley GP Alliance has grown into a vital lifeline for those experiencing homelessness in our community. Together, we have developed a pioneering Health Hub that brings direct, compassionate, and consistent medical care to rough sleepers and homeless individuals.
What began as a winter-only Thursday clinic has evolved into a five-day-a-week service, staffed by a dedicated prescribing nurse practitioner, Sarah Jackson. This model ensures continuity of care, improves access to health services, and builds trust with people who are often overlooked by traditional systems. Our work recognises that good health is not just about treatment, but about connection, dignity, and belonging.
We are deeply grateful to the ICB for their continued support and to every individual and partner who has helped make this project what it is today. A special and heartfelt thank you goes to Dr Hasib Ur-Rub, whose unwavering belief in this vision and steadfast support of both the work and the charity made this possible. His commitment has been instrumental in helping us build something truly life-changing.
This work matters because every person deserves to be seen, heard, and cared for and with this partnership, we are making that a reality.”
BGPA Nurse Practitioner, Sarah Jackson: “We are now in the 3rd year of the Bromley Homeless Health Project, and we can see that this is a much-needed service. A Health Impact Report carried out on the project has shown that the Bromley Homeless Health Team is an ‘essential service – not only for the individuals it supports but for the healthcare system’. ‘The hub exemplifies what compassionate, effective and community-based healthcare can achieve’.
Instead of seeing numbers in those experiencing homelessness decreasing, they are steadily increasing. We are identifying an ongoing need for our specific service which can be the connecting bridge for individuals, many of whom need multiple services involved in their care. By developing robust relationships with One Bromley partners, we are seeing strong engagement with services, not just within the charity, but also with Oxleas Mental Health Team, Change Grow Live (CGL) drugs and alcohol teams, the RAMHP team, St Christopher’s, UTC at the PRUH, Rough Sleeping Team at Bromley Council, Bromley Well and the many others which shape our service.
Having had no previous experience with people experiencing homelessness prior to starting this role, it has been eye opening how one of the most vulnerable groups of people are often an afterthought. The number of people experiencing homelessness in the borough of Bromley may be smaller than others, but it is still a very significant number, and, as a borough that strives for excellence, it would be a detriment to lose this service.”