Frontline Network Meeting May 2017

Last Wednesday we had our 4th Frontline Workers Network Meeting for Brighton & Hove. Supported bySt Martin's, The Frontline Network exists to harness the ideas, energy and experience of those at the frontline, working with homeless and vulnerably housed people.Each meeting has a different focus, and this time we looked at health care for those experiencing homelessness and how we might refer to other organisations to meet someone’s’ needs.We heard from three speakers from different healthcare organisations: Arch Healthcare,St John’s Ambulance and Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.Arch Healthcare is a medical practice specifically for vulnerably housed people. They are a locally run service for and by people in Brighton and Hove. They aim to offer more than just healthcare and try to help people build stability into their lives though offering booked and walk-in appointments. They try to engage with clients and service users in a creative way, often doing outreach to other services such as First Base and by working with other projects across the city, including Justlife.St John’s Ambulance has three strands to their work. Firstly, they offer training in First Aid and Overdose First Aid, to frontline workers, professionals and to vulnerably housed people. Secondly, they work closely with the Pathway Plus team who assist with smooth and safe discharge from hospital, supporting clients with their continued recovery after leaving hospital. Thirdly they run regular outreach clinics at First Base and at the Peace Statue down on Hove Seafront where they also offer hot drinks, blankets, sun cream as well as a nurse led clinic.Thirdly we heard from the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust Homeless Nurse Team. They offer outreach to hostels and temporary accommodation. Their work includes wound care, occupational therapy, physiotherapy focussed on balances and falls, safety equipment provision. They also work with the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, giving cooking lessons as well as working closely with Arch Healthcare.We also spent time thinking about potential scenarios we may come across with different clients and how we might best engage and work with them and support them in accessing the services that they might need. We also came up with training ideas for future meetings:

• Dual Diagnosis
• Behaviour Change
• Common Medication and what is it for?
• Pain Management: Medicated and unmedicated
• Where to refer people with learning difficulties
• Obesity
• Dementia
• Alzheimers
• Identification of suicidal tendencies and how to respond
• Drug Awareness, how to recognise, what is the latest drug and its effects.
• Working with people with bipolar disorder
• Personality disorder

If you would like to know more about the Frontline Workers Network Meetings then do please get in touch.