A new 'health bus' has been operating across Nottingham in a bid to provide hard to reach rough sleepers with vital medical support.
Homelessness charity Emmanuel House successfully applied for funding from the National Lottery community fund and £8,980 was awarded to run operate the vehicle for a year.
The charity's wellbeing support team, The Health Shop and the hepatology department at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust will be working together as part of the project.
The bus will be stocked with medical supplies and operated by health professionals, who will offer needle exchanges, testing for blood-born diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis, as well as sexual health screening.
Rough sleepers will also be referred on to mainstream health professionals with the hope that they will begin to engage with further support to get them off the streets.
Denis Tully, the chief executive of Emmanuel House, told Nottinghamshire Live: "It's innovative, creative and it is needed.
"It is already proving its worth in that it is bringing services to people who do not usually engage with services that are set up in static places."
Mr Tulley said the bus has predetermined stopping off routes throughout the city.
It comes after Emmanuel House, among other authorities, noticed a continuous increase in the number of people on the streets with complex needs and more serious health problems.
A drop-in session is held at St Peter's Church for rough sleepers where they can get help from the charity's wellbeing team.
It was here that the team found that many people on the streets, who have significant health needs, do not attend the sessions and are reluctant to engage.
It is hoped the health bus will bring the services to them.
Liver specialist Stephen Ryder, who works at Nottingham University Hospitals, says the project will allow more people to be reached, particularly those who need on-going health support.
He said: "The health bus outreach project allows our virology nurses to identify and treat blood born infections within a group of patients that are normally hard to reach.
"Many blood-born treatments require a course of 8-plus weeks of medication to treat, this new outreach projects means we can not only identify people who need medical treatment but also ensure they receive a full course of treatment."
