The Health of Homeless People in Nottingham: an Exploratory Study

This study sought to explore the perspectives of homeless people in Nottingham concerning health and homelessness. Homeless people are known to suffer from a host of health complaints, yet have great difficulty accessing healthcare. Whilst there has been research into health needs of homeless people, there is limited in-depth research which has explored the health needs and perceptions of healthcare provision from a user's perspective, in relation to specific services in one particular area. Twenty homeless people in Nottingham completed semi-structured interviews. It was found that they commonly suffered from mental health problems, dental problems, drug and alcohol dependency, respiratory problems and wounds. Ninety-five percent of participants were registered with a General Practitioner (GP) and 70% had accessed their GP in the previous two years. Whilst many participants accessed, and felt comfortable using, specialist homeless services, almost one third of participants felt uncomfortable accessing mainstream services. A model was created in which the various personal and service elements necessary for excellent healthcare provision for homeless people are presented. The elements are respect, sensitivity, privacy, support, efficiency, flexibility, publicity, time, evidence based practice and an integrated service. It has been recommended that these elements are incorporated into all areas of healthcare, to ensure healthcare is accessible for homeless people. The findings of this study focus on perceptions of current service provision and aspects of healthcare that homeless people perceive as essential. This is useful information for any health professional, especially where the intention is to integrate homeless people into mainstream services