A health project set up to help people living on the streets has received a national accolade.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals’ Street Health Project won a Nursing Times Award in the Prince of Wales, Integrated Approaches to Care category.

The Street Health project was first set up in November 2018 to offer regular support to people living on the streets and encourage them to access health care services, such as GPs or a hospital when they need to.

The project is held at a local soup kitchen and over time the team has built up some much needed trust with the people that go there.

Whilst they are there the team are able to check wounds and redress them, and make sure that people receive flu vaccinations and have dental health checks.

People can also receive advice from a GP, practice nurse, a sexual health specialist and a dietician and they are told about the free eye checks available through Ashfield Eye Care Services.

The team, who worked in partnership with Mansfield and Ashfield CCG to set up the project, attended the awards ceremony.

The awards recognise the innovation and best practice of nurses and midwives throughout the country and celebrate the amazing achievements of the nursing profession.

The chief nurse for Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, Suzanne Banks, said: “I am so proud of the team who set this up and continue to work tirelessly, often in their own time, to help make this project so successful.

“People who attend the soup kitchen regularly now know the team well and trust them, which has really helped improve the health and lives of people living on the streets in our local area.

“At our trust one of our priorities is to play a leading role in transforming local health and care services and by working with our partners across the health sector in our area I am pleased to say we have managed to do this.”

Dr Milind Tadpatrikar, from the Roundwood Surgery, Mansfield, added: “Our surgery has been actively involved in supporting homeless people for more than 10 years so this issue is very close to my heart.

“I am pleased with how successful this project has been and continues to be.”