We once again collaborated with a dental clinic here at The Bridge in order to support our guests and provide necessary healthcare that would otherwise be unavailable to them. Employees from Glenfield Dental Practise opened their doors to our guests and set up a reception table at The Hub for people to sign up, and be taken to the clinic thanks to transport organised by The Sri Sathya Sai Centre.
The dental clinic ran on a Saturday from 9 - 12, and 11 guests were able to be given examinations and treatment, which included gum care, x rays, teeth extractions, fillings, and advice related to oral hygiene. Free toothpaste, toothbrushes, and food vouchers were also provided by Glenfield Dental Practise, which was met with many thanks.
There are many barriers to healthcare that people experiencing homelessness unfortunately face. Although it is illegal, people can still get turned away from GPs for not having an address. Inclusion Healthcare is one solution to this, as they are a GP surgery that specialises in helping the homeless, however, a lot of people don’t know about them, and Inclusion Healthcare at this time does not yet offer dental care.
There are a lot of other reasons people experiencing homelessness don’t access healthcare. Severe mental health issues mean that the act of inquiring, signing up to the doctors, and making appointments can be too much for some. The GP and hospital can also be a stressful environment for those with mental health issues, and even when managing to get an appointment, those with neurodivergent diagnosis such as ADHD are very likely to forget. GPs and hospitals will often offer text reminders for appointments for patients, but this doesn’t help when the person doesn’t have access to a phone.
Even when people experiencing homelessness manage to attend an appointment, they may have trouble expressing themselves enough to tell the doctor what the problem is, or what it is they need. Prejudice is another problem that can occur, as some medical professionals may assume a person is there due to a drug addiction, which can lead to a negative experience for the patient and make them not want to pursue medical help again.
Groundswell is an amazing charity that provides Homeless Health Peer Advocacy; visit their website to find lots of useful resources on a range of physical and mental health topics. This is even more important than it may seem at first as there are a lot of unspoken health issues the homeless suffer from, such as premature frailty, a condition seen in long term rough sleepers. If you’d like to know more about how homelessness impacts a person's health and wellbeing, Homeless Link has written a very in depth, helpful article about it.
With all this in mind we wanted to say we are so grateful to Glenfield Dental Practise for offering their time and resources to help our guests get the medical attention they need. When the next one comes around we will make sure to advertise it to our guests again, so that as many as possible can take advantage of the opportunity for a free examination.
If you, or someone you know, struggles to make appointments or see the doctor take a look at this resource sheet created by The Lighthouse Project to feel better prepared and have a place to take notes. Find the download link below:
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