Homeless healthcare in the emergency department

Dear Editor,Those classed as homeless have a greatly reduced life expectancy compared to the population average:at 44 years for men and 42 years for women. New legislation has come into force that gives a powerful tool for emergency front-line staff to break down the cycle of disadvantage and help reduce attendances from this group.Clinicians working in urgent and emergency care settings may well be the first and only health professionals that someone who is homeless see. It must therefore be recognised that this healthcare encounter could be the key opportunity to improve the life course for this person. It is important to note that ‘homelessness’ does …