Homeless health elearning

If there is a specialist homelessness practice in your area, a patient who is currently homeless should be redirected to register at that practice?*
- True
- False
Incorrect: A person who is homeless can register at either a mainstream or a specialist practice, and should be given the choice. Please try again
Correct: A person who is homeless can register at either a mainstream or a specialist practice, and should be given the choice.

You can register a person who lives outside your catchment area?*
- True
- False
Correct: You can register someone outside your practice area, but patients need to be informed if as a consequence they will not be able to receive home visits, or access out of hours services.
Incorrect: You can register someone outside your practice area, but patients need to be informed if as a consequence they will not be able to receive home visits, or access out of hours services. Please try again

A person needs personal identification to register? e.g. A passport.*
- True
- False
Incorrect: No ID or evidence documents are required to register with a GP practice. Please try again
Correct: No ID or evidence documents are required to register with a GP practice.

If your practice is unable to register a patient, you must give them a letter explaining why?*
- True
- False
Correct: If you are unable to register someone e.g. because your practice is closed, or they live outside your practice area, you must keep a record of their name, age, and ethnicity and give them a letter explaining the reason for refusal.
Incorrect: If you are unable to register someone e.g. because your practice is closed, or they live outside your practice area, you must keep a record of their name, age, and ethnicity and give them a letter explaining the reason for refusal. Please try again

Someone staying temporarily on a friend's sofa, who has nowhere else permanent to live, should have their housing status coded as homeless?*
- True
- False
Correct: A patient’s accommodation status should always be discussed to understand their personal circumstances, but yes, this patient would probably be classed as being currently homeless, and should have their housing status coded as such (and be informed of this). Housing status should be reviewed at subsequent visits. Coding patients’ housing status as homeless will allow your practice to identify and report on your homeless population.
Incorrect: A patient’s accommodation status should always be discussed to understand their personal circumstances, but yes, this patient would probably be classed as being currently homeless, and should have their housing status coded as such (and be informed of this). Housing status should be reviewed at subsequent visits. Coding patients’ housing status as homeless will allow your practice to identify and report on your homeless population. Please try again

People who are homeless should be offered on-line access to their records and to make appointments?*
- True
- False
Correct: If your practice offers this service it should be offered equally to people who are homeless. People who are currently homeless can actually benefit more from this on-line access than other patients, as they may often not have phone credit, but may be able to access the internet.
Incorrect: If your practice offers this service it should be offered equally to people who are homeless. People who are currently homeless can actually benefit more from this on-line access than other patients, as they may often not have phone credit, but may be able to access the internet. Please try again

People who need an interpreter should always be offered the option of telephone interpreting or booked 1:1 interpreting, even if they say they have a family member who can interpret for them?*
- True
- False
Correct: Having a family member to interpret may limit disclosure and cause embarrassment, and should in general only be used as a last resort.
Incorrect: Having a family member to interpret may limit disclosure and cause embarrassment, and should in general only be used as a last resort. Please try again

If a person has no address their address should be recorded as 'NFA' on the system?*
- True
- False
Correct: If possible a person with no address they should ideally be registered with a 'care of' address to which correspondence can be sent.
Incorrect: If possible a person with no address they should ideally be registered with a 'care of' address to which correspondence can be sent. Please try again

A practice needs to check a patient’s immigration status before they can be registered or receive any immediately necessary treatment?*
- True
- False
Correct: There is no regulatory requirement for patients to prove their immigration status in order to register at a GP practice. Some patients may not be entitled to secondary care, but is up to the receiving organisation to check this.
Incorrect: There is no regulatory requirement for patients to prove their immigration status in order to register at a GP practice. Some patients may not be entitled to secondary care, but is up to the receiving organisation to check this. Please try again

You can notify street outreach teams via the internet that there is a person sleeping rough in a particular location?*
- True
- False
Correct: Anyone is able to give details of someone sleeping rough to outreach teams by going to the Streetlink website at any time. Patients can also refer themselves. The referral form asks for a description of person and their belongings, a sleep site location including the likely times of day the person is there, as well as contact details (if they have this). As such it is often useful to do this with the patient.
Incorrect: Anyone is able to give details of someone sleeping rough to outreach teams by going to the Streetlink website at any time. Patients can also refer themselves. The referral form asks for a description of person and their belongings, a sleep site location including the likely times of day the person is there, as well as contact details (if they have this). As such it is often useful to do this with the patient. Please try again

Helping improve care for people who are homeless