Home › Service directory › Health inclusion team (HIT)
Health inclusion team (HIT)
Page last updated on:
About the service
The health inclusion team aims to support individuals who experience multiple overlapping risk factors for poor health (such as poverty and complex trauma), experience stigma and discrimination, and are not consistently accounted for in electronic records (such as healthcare databases). These experiences frequently lead to barriers in access to healthcare and extremely poor health outcomes.
This includes facilitating the integration of overseas arrivals into mainstream health services and address inequalities in health and wellbeing.
In addition, the health inclusion service is part of the local outreach team working in partnership with Barnsley Council’s housing service and the local substance misuse service (Waythrough Barnsley Recovery Steps), working directly on the streets to locate, engage with and support individuals that are rough sleeping.
The service also provides a weekly wound care drop-in clinic for individuals that are homeless, have been homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless. The clinic is run in collaboration with Waythrough’s Barnsley Recovery Steps service. At the clinic wounds are assessed with basic treatment and advice provided.
The team provides:
- Advice and guidance on utilising resources and services available in Barnsley that can help people from inclusion health groups
- Guidance on accessing health services appropriately
- New entrants screening clinics with direct referral pathways
- To support new entrant patients to become registered with their preferred choice of local GP practice
- Promotional education events on a local, regional and national level
- Health assessments for new entrant GP registrations with access to an interpretating service
- Advice and support on TB treatment, or the signs and symptoms of TB
- Contact tracing
- Extensive partnership working and community engagement
- Attend the multi-agency drop-in at Hope House and community events
- Welfare visits to gypsy/traveller roadside encampments
- Homelessness and rough sleeping outreach
- Delivery of a weekly homelessness and rough sleeping wound care drop-in clinic
Why would someone choose the service?
- Evidence shows that people who are socially excluded underuse some services, such as primary and preventative care, and often rely on emergency services such as A&E when their health needs become acute. This results in missed opportunities for preventive interventions, serious illness and inefficiencies, and further exacerbates existing health inequalities.
- Facilitate the integration of overseas arrivals into mainstream health services
- We have extensive knowledge in the understanding of a service users health status. Identifying current health issues and future conditions
- To address inequalities in health and wellbeing support. Identifying potential barriers to care that may affect compliance and outcome
- We use trusted relationships with individuals, families and communities to take action on inclusion health
- We understand the characteristics and needs of people in inclusion health groups
Staff you may meet
- Registered nurses use evidence based knowledge, and their professional and clinical judgement to assess, plan, implement and evaluate high quality person centred care. The work of registered nurses consists of many specialised and complex interventions to ensure people and their families can improve, maintain or recover health, or experience a dignified death.
- Receptionists are the first link for many patients and visitors. They often work on their own or with one or two other receptionists, greeting patients as they arrive and check them in. They might also collect patient notes and ensure that these vital records go to the right healthcare professional. In a clinic, they may make appointments and arrange patient transport.
Why a professional should choose the service
- New entrant screening for service users who have entered the UK and registered with a GP within the last five years with no previous history of TB or Latent TB
- All patients are assessed by a specialist nurse and signposted to other services accordingly
- Provision of support and guidance for other professionals the team provide a good resource to other services
This guide is part of ‘all our health’, a resource that helps health and care professionals prevent ill health and promote wellbeing as part of their everyday practice. Link to guide – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusion-health-applying-all-our-health/inclusion-health-applying-all-our-health#resources
Support offered
- Advice on registering with a GP
- Completion of new patient health checks
- Joint partnership working involving both statutory and voluntary sector organisations
- Homelessness and rough sleeping outreach which may involve detecting serious health issues
- Delivery of a weekly homelessness and rough sleeping wound care drop-in clinic held at the Recovery Hub (access via side entrance on Crookes Street), McLintock Building, Summer Lane, Barnsley S70 2NZ
- Establishing trust and long-term relationships with those individuals that have experienced trauma, to remove barriers to engagement
Outcomes
- Educate and promote correct access to health and other services
- Positive patient experience
- Effective partnership working
- Establish trust and long-term relationships with individuals who may have experienced difficulties accessing health services previously
- Reduce barriers and stigma in relation to negative attitudes that are often experienced by the individuals that access this service
Referrals accepted from:
Carers/family, GP staff, GPs, Other NHS services, Patients(self-referral), Schools, Voluntary services
Referral criteria:
- People new to the UK (within the last 5 years) – migrant workers, asylum seekers and refugees
- Inclusion health groups
- Need advice or support with accessing health services
- Need support with registering with a GP
Referrals are accepted from any service. Complete this referral form if the referral is in relation to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees and send to Healthinclusionteam@swyt.nhs.uk
Patients can self-refer by walking into the reception and book an appointment or telephone 01226 731686
Open Monday – Friday 9 – 5pm