The Health Squad is an outreach based service seeking to undertake health and wellbeing engagement among the most vulnerable groups in County Durham. We offer a mobile screening of clients identified as part of these vulnerable groups most at risk of significant physical and mental health issues. We seek to help at-risk individuals navigate through both generic and specialist healthcare services depending on their needs.
The structure of support offered is separated into four tiers, between our universal offer (full health checks, tier 1), signposting and referral (tiers 2 and 3), and ongoing support (tier 4). The structure of this support is always bespoke and designed around implementing a behavioural change around those failing to engage with (or engaging inappropriately with) healthcare services.
Included in our mobile outreach work, we undertake:
- Mobile Health Checks (Body Mass Index (Height and Weight), Blood Pressure, Pulse, Diabetes Risk Score, Cholesterol testing etc)
- Advocacy, chaperoning and championing success
- Health promotion events delivered in line with national campaigns (e.g. mental health awareness)
- Attending drop-ins at community venues, supported accommodation provisions, warm spaces, community hubs and more.
The only criteria necessary to access the Health Squad is that the individual must be:
- Part of a group defined as vulnerable, such as:
- Substance misusers
- Homeless (including rough sleepers, hidden homeless, sofa surfing, in emergency accommodation or transient accommodation)
- Gypsy Roma Travelling communities
- Veterans
- Prison leavers
- Refugees
- Vulnerable minorities
- Domestic abuse survivors
- Part of another vulnerable group which is in need of support, such as someone failing to access services due to service/social exclusion.
- Failing to engage with healthcare provisions (including failure to engage appropriately).
A referral form can be sought from cddft.healthsquad@nhs.net.
For any support or queries, please call 0800 876 6887.