'Out in the cold': Listening to people experiencing rough sleeping

Between October 2025 and February 2026, Healthwatch Shropshire carried out engagement with individuals experiencing rough sleeping in Shrewsbury, primarily at the Shrewsbury Ark Day Centre. This report includes what they heard from people with lived experience, support workers, volunteers and healthcare professionals, The on-site GP service at the Shrewsbury Ark emerges as a critical lifeline, enabling access that would otherwise be unobtainable for many. The experiences shared underline the need for coordinated system-wide improvements to ensure that people who are most at risk are able to receive timely, appropriate and compassionate healthcare, which, if delivered correctly could reduce the overall burden of this vulnerable community on the NHS.

Key themes include:

• Difficulty accessing GP services 
• Challenges managing medication 
• Poor hospital discharge experiences 
• Mental health and addiction challenges 
• Difficult transitions from prison back into the community
• The importance of trusted community/non-statutory support, e.g. charities 
• Additional burden that people experiencing rough sleeping can place on emergency services if they are not supported