Working life: Dr Bridget Kiely - Mobile Health and Screening Unit

Dr Bridget Kiely is GP lead at the Mobile Health and Screening Unit, Safetynet Primary Care

7am

I’m not much of a morning person. I drag myself out of bed and grab coffee and breakfast and pack lunch before leaving home in Portobello. I cycle straight to our mobile screening unit which parks at different locations across Dublin at sites accessible to homeless people and vulnerable migrants. Today it’s at the homeless hostel on Richmond St.

8.30am

The new mobile chest X-ray unit, Ireland’s first, allows us to test for Tuberculosis, a potentially serious infectious lung disease, in at-risk groups, in particular the homeless. The unit is linked to the National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS), allowing radiologists in St James’s Hospital to report on X-rays taken on board from any location. I touch base with the nurse and the radiographer, and once everything’s up and running, I head to the Safetynet office in Phibsborough.

10am

As a medical charity which receives funding from the HSE’s National Social Inclusion Office, Safetynet submits regular reports. Today I give feedback on the health needs of Syrian refugees. Safetynet conducts health assessments for this group on arrival. We’ve done about 650 this year.

1pm

I have lunch in Blessington St Basin, Dublin’s ‘secret garden’.

2pm

I get a call from the radiographer who has spotted something on a chest X-ray. I cycle back to the unit, and we discuss it with the team in St James’s Hospital. We need to contact the patient. This can be tricky because lots of our clients are rough sleepers. We work with key workers and a network of clinics for the homeless to track people down.

3pm

For the rest of the afternoon, we operate a one-stop shop, screening for TB and infectious diseases such as HIV, Hep B and Hep C.

By bringing healthcare to the homeless, they are more likely to engage. It’s often their only way of accessing it, because it’s difficult to get a medical card when you don’t have an address.

5pm

I check in with the team before heading home. To wind down, I go for a run, to the gym or visit my new nephew. My husband is working on Brexit in London, so we catch up at weekends.

If you are a nurse, radiographer or GP interested in working with Safetynet please contact [e-mail]