Joining the Fight Against Coronavirus

Today, in partnership with Guys and St Thomas’s Hospital, the Social Interest Group through SIG Equinox joins the direct fight to help people recover from COVID 19!

As of today, until the Pandemic is over, we will be welcoming people who are being discharged from Guys and St Thomas hospital and are recovering from COVID 19 into our Brook Drive service. These patients, who are deemed medically fit for discharge but are either homeless or vulnerable, will be supported to get well, and have the necessary arrangements put in place for them to safely return home or into stable accommodation.

This is a temporary change to our normal service at Brook Drive and we will still provide limited residential detox where it is critical to life.

Speaking about this change, Gill Arukpe, CEO of the Social Interest group said, “The Board and I made one of the toughest ethical decisions we have had to make together. We decided it was ethically right to ask the staff team at Brook Drive to temporarily change who they worked with in response to the biggest Public Health issue we, as a country, have faced in our lifetime. The staff in Brook Drive, working together with our partner, Villa Street GP practice, are amongst the most professional and dedicated team of nurses, recovery workers, cleaners, admin workers and cooks any CEO could wish for. They save lives on a daily basis and I know they will continue to do so in the coming weeks and months. It is an extraordinary day for the SIG Equinox staff team and I am so proud of everyone within the Social Interest Group for stepping up and proactively fighting back against this devastating virus. We are stronger together and I hope anyone reading this will join me in celebrating our teams of dedicated staff during this crisis.”