The Homeless and Vulnerable Person Outreach Service is the London region winner of an NHS Parliamentary Award.

The service was nominated for the category Excellence in Primary Care & Community Care by Hackney South and Shoreditch MP, Dame Meg Hillier.

On hearing the news, the service, made up of GPs, nurses and local support staff, were ‘over the moon’, said ELFT’s Primary Care Head of Operations, Irfaan Ibne. 

Dame Meg Hillier put the service forward for their successful work to build relationships with historically non-engaging patients.

Working alongside the Greenhouse Practice (Hackney), Newham Transitional Practice (Newham), and Health E1 (Tower Hamlets) since 2020, the service provides health-related interventions to improve peoples’ quality of life and work to improve access to services.

The service also looked after asylum seekers and refugees across all three boroughs under the City of London’s Afghan resettlement scheme.

On hearing the news that the service had been nominated as London region winners, Dame Meg Hillier said:

“I’m delighted the excellent work of The Homeless and Vulnerable Person Outreach Service has been recognised by the NHS Parliamentary Awards team.

“I applaud the service’s hard work and gumption in building on the emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is a true reflection of the Hackney spirit, which ensures that everyone – from the homeless to asylum seekers to refugees – gets the support they need and never misses out just because of who they are.”

The Homeless and Vulnerable Person Outreach Service started life in May 2020, in response to the government ‘Everyone In’ policy.

The GLA and local authorities placed many people who had been rough sleeping into temporary accommodation. 

The service responded quickly to try to support these people across City & Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets. 

This gave them a unique opportunity to further develop their out and in-reach health care strategy – and a vital opportunity to build up trust with a cohort of patients traditionally seen as difficult to engage.  

This work then developed into caring for Asylum Seekers placed in temporary hotel accommodation, which further evolved into looking after refugees as part of the City of London Afghan resettlement scheme. 

They also support the Pathways Team in Homerton who provide in-reach care to local hospitals to support patients, at all times focusing upon supporting positive housing outcomes for when they transfer back into the community.

The service’s work to improve people’s health and housing aligns with one of ELFT’s long-term strategic aims – to improve whole population health through partnership working.

On receiving the news of the service’s win, Dr Theresa Murphy De Souza, a former member of the service and now Clinical Lead for the Homerton Pathways Team said:

"On behalf of the team, I'd like to say how delighted we all are.

 "We are all very proud of the work we do to ensure that the homeless, refugees and asylum seekers get the healthcare provision they need.

“This is only made possible because of the excellent partnership working between the Greenhouse surgery in City & Hackney, Newham Transitional Practice in Newham, and Health E1 in Tower Hamlets.

“They enabled this service to be born out of the crisis of the pandemic. We now provide wrap-around care. Supporting our patients on the street, in temporary accommodation, into hospital and out again.

“A truly holistic service for the most vulnerable among us. It feels great to have our hardworking team recognised"

Dr Mohit Venkataram, ELFT’s Executive Director Lead for Primary Care said:

"This is tremendous news and very well deserved.

"The team are system leaders in delivering joined-up, effective care for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

"I'm so proud that the leadership and dedication of the team and its members have been recognised. They are an asset to the Trust and the wider NHS."

The service now goes on to the NHS Parliamentary Award national finals taking place later this year.