How we can help
You can come to us with any health problem. We provide the following:
- General health advice and treatment
- Support and advice for mental health issues
- Sexual health and contraception advice
- Safe injecting advice
- Drugs/alcohol support and referral to other specialist services
- Minor injury care
- Wound care, dressings and scans.
- Testing and counselling for bloodborne viruses such as HIV/hepatitis B & C
- Opticians service/Podiatry clinic
- Referrals and liaison with other health and homeless services
- Free flu and hep B vaccination
How can SMART support you?
SMART offers a two year opiate substitution prescribing service with regular counselling and support. We offer up to two years treatment and aim to help you complete a detoxification programme, or prepare to enter a community methadone programme elsewhere.
We support clients who are:
- Rough sleeping (or have been recently)
- Actively involved in the resettlement process
- Aged 18 years or older
- Committed to making a change in their drug related behaviour
- Opiate dependent
Referrals are made through the Outreach Team based at the Compass centre. Once referred the assessment process takes two to three weeks. All SMART clients take their methadone under the supervision of a community pharmacist on a daily basis.
What can Health Link do for you?
Health Link workers help clients with access to all health related services, provide support and advocacy and liaise with the St. Mungo’s Outreach Team.
We support clients who are, or have been:
- Homeless or vulnerably housed
- Severe health problems due to their homelessness
- Unable to access health or support services
- At high risk and/or in health crisis
- Using A&E repeatedly or inappropriately
- Complex physical and mental health needs and not linked into health & support services
Once engaged with our service you will receive assessment of your needs, specialist advice, support and advocacy. We can refer to other health, housing and support agencies and will work with you until your situation is more stable.
Visiting Health Practitioners
If you would like to book in for any of these sessions please see our reception team at the Compass Centre who will be happy to make an appointment for you.
Podiatry
Our Podiatrist, who works for South Gloucestershire NHS has been visiting us monthly for over a year. They runs an afternoon clinic on the 2nd Thursday of each month. They are able to offer help with toe nails, hard skin, foot pain, infections and anything else that worries you about your feet!
Opticians
Do you need your eyes tested? Our Opticians visit us on the first Tuesday on each month and offer sight tests and spectacles if needed. Sight tests and spectacles will be free of charge to those clients in receipt of benefits.