Dr Jasmin Malik is chairing the London Homeless Health Primary Care Steering Group, which has been established to bring key partners together at the city level, to oversee the citywide primary care workstream.
Amongst others, the group will work to:
- develop primary care commissioning around homelessness services and close the gap in GP registration for homeless and other inclusion health groups that overlap the homeless agenda
- develop minimum standards for homeless health care provision for mainstream GP practices, GP practices that have LCSs in place and specialist GP practices
- align community mental health, primary care and addiction services to better support people experiencing homelessness.
Membership consists of clinical and commissioning representation from ICSs, Homeless and Inclusion Health, Primary care, NHSE/I, OHID and third-sector partners Pathway and Groundswell, who also provide lived experience expertise.
Members of the steering group are forming smaller Task and Finish groups which will oversee and take ownership of subsects of overall work. Each ICS will hold a sub-group and will project manage it, recognising the limitations but ensuring that there are some actions coming out of this group. Members of the group and project managers are currently allocating themselves to the sub-group where they feel best fitting.
The four Task & Finish sub-groups are:
- Minimum standards of practice and data gathering
- Training
- Digital access and Registration blockers
- Aligning community mental health, primary care and addiction services
The group is accountable and reports to the London Homeless Health Leadership Group as well as the Pan-London ICS group. Communication links have been established with Primary Care Health Inequalities Partnership group. Initial meetings have held in December 2021 and January, February 2022.
Prior to establishing the steering group, a Community of Practice event was held in September 2021 focusing on the day-to-day barriers to GP registrations for inclusion health groups, including people experiencing homelessness and how they can be overcome to support their entry into primary care.
Discussions, examples of good practice and concerns raised in this event will help inform the work of the steering group over the coming year.
Click here to read related content from the London Homeless Health Partner April 2022 newsletter.