Latest News
Vaccination day for homeless in Bournemouth
What a day! A huge effort to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine to people experiencing homelessness resulted in around 200 receiving the vaccine at a special pop-up clinic at the Bournemouth YMCA today. Everyone vaccinated is homeless, rough sleeping or has [...]
‘Bags of Hope’ for homeless this Christmas
As Christmas approaches, rough sleepers in the Bournemouth area are receiving bags of treats and necessities. The goodie bags are being handed out to those attending HealthBus clinics. The idea for Bags of Hope comes from Reg Chapman, a retired [...]
HealthBus Trust hits fundraising target for new mobile clinic
We have reached our fundraising target of £60,000! This means we can now purchase a brand-new vehicle to give rough sleepers and people experiencing homelessness access to healthcare and other support services through a mobile drop-in clinic. Our HealthBus Team [...]
The HealthBus Trust successfully navigates turbulent first year as a charity
We've encountered unprecedented challenges and successes in our first year as a registered charity! Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we've not only faced unforeseen challenges in providing our mobile drop-in clinic for rough sleepers in the Bournemouth area, but also [...]
COVID-19 Heroes:
Thank you to everyone who took part in our ‘Covid-19 Heroes Campaign’. Amazingly, over 70 creative Covid-19 Heroes responded to our appeal to cut out and decorate a HealthBus Badge in such artistic ways! Thank you for sharing these amazing [...]
COVID-19 Outbreak
At the end of March 2020, the Trustees took to the difficult decision to suspend operations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Sadly, we have not been able to have face to face contact with our homeless and rough sleeping patients. [...]
Fundraising launch party
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our launch event on 30 January. We raised nearly £4,000 (without including Gift Aid)! Since becoming a registered charity at the end of last year, we can now start fundraising and applying [...]
Meet our youngest supporter
Today we met six year-old Zac Swift, our youngest donor so far! He visited the HealthBus with his older brother, Finn (aged nine), and his mum to hand over £100 to Dr Maggie Kirk and the team. Zac Swift [...]
Winter Immunisations
From today you might see two new faces at the HealthBus. A big 'thank you' to Public Health Dorset for providing a nurse and admin support each Thursday morning for winter immunisations. The nurse will be offering flu and pneumonia [...]
Charity Status Accepted
It is with great pride and excitement that we now have a recognised charity status. This creates a huge opportunity for the HealthBus to develop further, allowing us to apply for grants and local funding to provide healthcare for rough [...]
HealthBus commended at national GP Awards
Swanky London hotels are not our usual Friday night hangout. But on 29 November, we had a very special reason to be at the glitzy Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel: Dr Maggie Kirk and the HealthBus team, were nominated for [...]
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Thank you for your support.
Without a permanent home, it can be difficult to access healthcare for many reasons. The HealthBus team offer specialist GP and medical services at the point of need. They work in partnership with other services providers, such as addiction and mental health specialists, to help people find the support they need to move on in life.
One rough sleeper, Dean, said of the HealthBus service: “No one sets out to be purposefully on the streets … sometimes you face situations which just leave you broken and desperate. After losing my job, home and key relationships my mental health deteriorated; and I resorted to harmful substances which drove me to the streets. After lots of encouragement from visiting health professionals, I have found hope and compassion from those involved with the HealthBus. This service is a lifeline! A much-needed refuge for those who are vulnerable. The staff and team involved with the HealthBus have saved and are saving lives … this work must continue!”