Primary health care for people experiencing homelessness: the effectiveness of specialist and mainstream health service provision.

The article from the British Journal of General Practice discusses the effectiveness of different primary healthcare models for people experiencing homelessness in England. The study, known as HEARTH, compared four models: Dedicated Centres, Mobile Teams, Specialist GPs, and Usual Care GPs. The Dedicated Centre model performed best overall, offering flexible, holistic care with a focus on people who are homeless. Specialist GPs also showed positive outcomes, while Mobile Teams faced challenges in coordination. Usual Care GPs, serving a settled population, struggled to provide care to those with complex needs. The study highlights the importance of tailored and integrated services for homeless populations and the need for effective monitoring and evaluation in primary healthcare services. [Extracted from the article]