Health workers sent door to door in deprived areas to detect illnesses

Home visits by health care workers can help them address the wider causes of illness, such as poor housing or financial hardship. Photograph: sturti/Getty Images

The NHS is attempting to ease the pressure on GPs and A&E by sending a new type of health worker door to door in deprived areas to help detect illnesses before people need urgent care.

Community health and wellbeing workers (CHWW) are already deployed in 12 areas of England, with 13 others to follow, in an attempt to improve poor and vulnerable people’s access to care.