Health Squad

‘Luke’ was well known to the Health Squad. He had been a rough sleeper in County Durham and the surrounding areas for a number of years and had never maintained a tenancy for longer than a couple of months. We invited to take part in a full health assessment, which he agreed to. During the health assessment, Luke disclosed he had a hernia, which measured approximately seven inches in height and six in depth. A referral had been submitted for...

‘John’ had been known to the Health Squad for a long time, as after a triple heart bypass, he wanted continuous support to monitor his blood pressure. This steady process helped us to develop a positive and friendly relationship with him. It also led to an improved willingness for John to discuss his healthcare issues, which he admitted he had not always been very good at addressing. Following his operation, John was had a lot of confusion about the letters...

After meeting ‘Lisa’, immediately significant concerns were noted about her welfare. She had been diagnosed with learning difficulties and had been homeless for around five years. She was also engaging in substance misuse and was a victim of ongoing sexual, physical, emotional and coercive abuse. The Health Squad team got into action to find meaningful support for Lisa. We then received contact from a mental health social worker, ‘Paula’, based in the community. We already had a working relationship with...

While running a health promotion event at a supported accommodation, ‘Gregory’ asked for advice from the Health Squad and disclosed he had previously been given a diagnosis of Hepatitis C five years before. Gregory was not aware this could easily be treated. Due to a chaotic lifestyle, lack of contact with healthcare services meant he’d never sought medical support for this. The Health Squad registered Gregory as a temporary patient at a local GP and liaised with the Hepatitis C...

‘Zach’ was in a community rehabilitation centre. While a resident, he relapsed, resulting in eviction, but was shortly allowed to recommence his support with the rehab and was offered a residential placement again. The Health Squad assessed him and identified a health need in that Zach wanted to quit smoking. Through the support provided by the Health Squad, Zach completed the 12 weeks of stop smoking using dispensed vapes and nicotine patches. Zach, who has asthma, reported that his symptoms...

Health Squad has been supporting the Veterans Group at Bishop Auckland Football Club since September 2024. Initially the team supported the group with mini health assessments, which include the measurement of height, weight, BMI (Body Mass Index) waist to hip ratios, blood pressure, pulse, and a diabetes risk assessment. From April 2025, the team began carrying out full health assessments for the group. These assessments offered additional free cholesterol testing, and where appropriate, diabetes testing, plus a FeNo breathing test...

The team from Health Squad recently visited a City of Sanctuary group to offer free health assessments to the families there. The feedback was positive and Anna Nemesh from City of Sanctuary said: “Our families were very pleased with the health assessments you kindly provided and we’re already looking forward to the next time.”