The ‘extreme and disproportionate’ ill-health of Tameside’s homeless is set to be tackled by a new scheme that aims to ensure patients have somewhere to go when they leave hospital.
The campaign – known as the hospital discharge homelessness contract – has come to fruition following a survey by charities Homeless Link and St Mungo’s.
The survey found that around 70% of homeless people were discharged and went straight back to living on the streets, often becoming ill again and requiring further medical treatment.
Charles Fraser, Chief Executive of St Mungo’s, said: “The ill-health of homeless people is extreme and disproportionate, and the government’s very clear commitment to addressing that is enormously welcome.
“Poor physical and mental health is both a cause and a consequence of homelessness, but we know that if you leave hospital with nowhere to live it is only going to exacerbate ill health at a high cost to the person concerned and also to the NHS, with frequent re-admissions.
“Recent history has shown that targeting is the most effective way of helping homeless people.”
Two people will be take up the position of Hospital Discharge Prevention Officer (HDPO) on November 1, putting suitable plans in place to combat the number of homeless patients returning to the streets.
The scheme will be financed by part of a £10million Department of Health fund and will help to create a sustainable link between the housing and healthcare services.
Executive director of neighbourhoods at housing group New Charter, Tony Powell, said: “We need to do more to link up housing and healthcare services, and the opportunity to bid for the Department of Health grant was very welcome.
“This exciting new service will save local health resources on costly readmissions, and at the same time make help make sure vulnerable people are healthy and properly housed.”
Bridging the gap between healthcare and social housing, the HDPO will also be liaising with other Greater Manchester hospitals to ensure the proper implementation of discharge procedures, and to ensure that patients are receiving all the support they need while in hospital.
Image courtesy of Gerald England, with thanks
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