My creative piece is based on a group discussion with a staff member at a GP surgery. We listened to the inspiring story of his experience with homelessness, addiction and struggles with the NHS. He had spent the majority of his years homeless and used heroin for most of his adult life (on and off, depending on whether or not he was in a rehabilitation programme at the time).

I initially chose to draw this piece in pencil because it is the medium that I feel most comfortable using, but while drawing the piece I found the monotone, black and white nature of the medium lent to the feeling of hopelessness in the story he told us. The brown overlay was done using an iPad. I chose to add this to reflect a particularly striking part of the story he told us – that he felt he was seen as dirty when he went to hospital. He mentioned he was sure that if he wore different clothes or had straighter teeth the staff would treat him with more respect and give him the treatment that he needed. Instead, most times he went to the hospital, he was given drugs and felt like he was hurried out – as if the staff did not want him there. The purpose of this piece is to acknowledge the biases we have about people who are homeless in the hopes that we can challenge them and especially as healthcare professionals, give much needed respect and time to all our patients. 

The interview was very emotional for me as a first-year medical student who grew up in privileged surroundings as I had rarely encountered homelessness or drug addiction, and when I had, I did not give it much thought. Being able to talk about these issues in a safe environment with a person who was so articulate about his experience and emotions was powerful and eye-opening. He talked about his relationship with his family, his past trauma and the precarious journey towards mental health. Speaking about living on the streets, he invited us to consider the times that we have walked past a homeless person in a doorway and not given it a thought. Hearing about his past and the way he dealt with it humanised him and other people who are homeless more than I realised possible – and made me realise that any person could be that homeless person on the street that most people ignore. I drew an image where the face was indiscernible to show this, and that what most people initially see when they pass a person who is homeless on the street is that they are homeless – not that they are people (or at least that is how the people who are homeless feel that people look at them). In the discussion, this member of staff also spoke about going to the GP and having an appointment with someone who made him feel safe and listened to, and how this sparked his recovery.