A HOMELESS health service has helped contribute to a 90 per cent drop in A&E attendances among the people it supports.

Bolton's council and hospital have a joint service which has been running in some form or another since 2006.

Bolton Homeless Street Watch provides on-the-street support and treatment to homeless people and since 2016 has seen a 90 per cent reduction in A&E attendances from the homeless people its staff connect with.

This week Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham went for a walk around the town with the staff to meet some of the people they help and learn more about the service.

Mr Burnham met with the community nurses team on Wednesday with Dave Bagley from Urban Outreach and Bolton Council leader Cllr Linda Thomas.

A spokesperson for Mr Burnham's office said: "The project is a great example of how we are integrating homelessness and health services in Greater Manchester."

Mr Burnham was pleased to see that the outreach team approaches those who can be reluctant to contact support services or ask for help.

This work focusses on building relationships and trust with people living on the streets.

A spokesperson for Street Watch said: "These teams work together and walk the streets reaching out to entrenched rough sleepers and those at risk of becoming homeless.

"They provide on the spot health advice and treatment, and valuable housing advice and support."

Street Watch began life in a Chorley Old Road on the outskirts of town as a drop-in health clinic provided by Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.

Seven years later they started a clinic with the Street Life Project run by Urban Outreach. They found homeless patients were visiting A&E four times more than someone with a settled address.