New GP provider for homeless service in Exeter and Barnstaple
A new community interest company – Inclusion Health Devon (IncluDe) has been awarded the contract to provide primary medical care services to the homeless and vulnerably housed in Exeter and Barnstaple.
Inclusion Health Devon took over the running of the Clock Tower Surgery in Exeter and has now established a permanent service at the Freedom Centre in Barnstaple, following the success of the previous pilot project.
They are a newly formed Community Interest Company (CIC) set up by clinicians (GPs and nurses) from both the Clock Tower Surgery in Exeter and Freedom Centre service in Barnstaple, who have many years of experience in delivering care to inclusion health groups.
By uniting the two services, the organisation can offer enhanced, specialist care, ensuring that patients benefit from the collective expertise and collaborative approach across both sites.
Patients are being reassured that it’s business as usual at the practice and they should continue to access their practice in the normal way.
Patients in Barnstaple are already seeing the benefits of this new service, with several expressing that the care provided has been “a lifeline” and that it’s “the only service that truly understands our needs.”
Dr Alex Degan, Medical Director for Primary Care at NHS Devon, said: “We are pleased to announce that Inclusion Health Devon have taken over the running of Clock Tower Surgery and the healthcare services at Freedom Centre in September, providing much more stability for the future.
“We are working closely with Inclusion Health Devon to ensure a smooth transition in the handover, with minimal disruption to patients and staff. Patients do not need to take any action and should continue to access the service as usual.”
In the longer term, there is a wider ‘Devon ambition’ being developed, bringing together key organisations, agencies, and voluntary sector to work together to improve the health and social wellbeing of this client group and improve access equitably across Devon in primary care.
The service differs to that of standard general practice and offers a bespoke service specifically tailored to people experiencing homelessness. It aims to:
- Improve health outcomes and reduced mortality rates
- Increase engagement with, and trust of, health services
- Increase uptake of vaccination and screening offers, reducing incidence of infectious diseases
- Successfully transfer patients to mainstream general practice, with continued engagement with primary care services.
- A reduced level of ED attendances and emergency admissions
- Reduce average duration of these admissions through multi-agency discharge planning
- Reduce emergency (unplanned) admissions into mental health secondary care services
- Deliver joint care plans
Dr Sam Cole at Inclusion Health Devon, said: “We are delighted to be awarded this contract and look forward to sharing our expertise across both sites, continuing to work our partners to provide high quality services for vulnerable people.”
