Integrate housing and care budgets to tackle extreme health inequalities, says charity
Homeless and inclusion health charity publishes solutions to tackle extreme health inequalities, including calling for safe discharge of people facing homelessness, wrap-around care from GPs for people with complex needs, and earlier help for people facing mental health crises.
The Homeless and Health Inclusion charity Pathway UK has published six expert papers setting out practical action plans to address systematic failures in healthcare experienced by people in health inclusion groups, including those experiencing homelessness.
People in inclusion health groups include people experiencing homelessness, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people, people engaged in sex work, vulnerable migrants and people in contact with the Criminal Justice System.
With their living conditions described as ‘deprivation on stilts’ by Sir Michael Marmot, their health outcomes are typically worse than people living in deprived communities, driving additional pressure on the NHS. People facing homelessness are admitted six times more often to hospital than people who do have homes.
Written by experts in the field of inclusion health, the six papers highlight existing good practice and set out clear policy solutions based on NICE guidelines to tackle major shortcomings in health, housing and social care services which contribute to the poor health outcomes and early mortality experienced by health inclusion groups.
As the government formulates its new homelessness strategy and NHS 10-Year Plan, the charity’s recommendations align with government’s vision which focuses on three transformative shifts: moving care from hospital to community, embracing digital innovation, and prioritising prevention over treatment.
Alex Bax, CEO of Pathway, said: “We are at a turning point in the long and proud history of our National Health Service. These papers show how choices could be made across the NHS to reverse the inverse care law, tilting time and resource towards those who need it most.”
The six authors, Dr Verity Aaminah, Gill Taylor, Dr Chris Sargeant, Dr Jenny Drife, Samantha Dorney-Smith and Gill Leng, set out comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations to achieve this change, which include:
- Introducing local integrated budgets covering both care and homes to enable improved planning and delivery
- Establishing a network of specialist hospital teams and a hospital safe discharge programme to prevent discharge from hospital to the street
- Reforming funding mechanisms for general practice to allow the complex, holistic work that people facing extreme health inequalities require
Dee O’Connell, Pathway’s Director of Programmes, said: “The pressures currently facing our health, housing and care services are huge. But the good news is that our practical policy solutions will tackle the systematic failures that have persisted for so long and which previous policy interventions have failed to solve. It’s now time to stop researching and time to take action.”
