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Heartbeat: Focus on the homeless has helped to rehouse more than 200 patients

December 21, 2018

Christmas is a joyous time of year for many, but for some it can be quite a lonely experience, especially for those who find themselves homeless and out in the cold.

However, our homeless patient pathway team have been working all year round to support those who find themselves in a vulnerable situation, without a secure roof over their head, or living alone when they need more support in place.

Figures shared by the team show that they have successfully housed or helped 229 patients return to their original accommodation, whilst the service has also reduced potential re- admission rates by 86 per cent. The service has also saved our organisation 378 bed days – an average saving of £151,200 in the last 12 months.

Helen Taylor, Lead Nurse, said: “The main aim of the pathway is to ensure safer discharges from hospital for homeless or vulnerably housed patients into appropriate accommodation.

“The team also improve the patient journey, maximise service referrals and access to health care, as well as helping to reduce hospital re-admission rates.

“Following discharge, the team will complete a home visit to ensure that patients are engaging with the relevant services and sustaining their tenancy.

They will identify and register the patient with a local GP and ensure that they have adequate prescribed medications.

“Registering with a GP can be a lengthy process specifically for homeless patients who often do not have any ID or paperwork. However we can assist them with this process.

“I am able to provide them with vital interim prescriptions as a bridging gap between secondary and primary care, thus reducing potential readmissions for non-compliance of medications.

“In addition to this we also provide food, toiletries and clothing as required on discharge and all of our donations come from the generosity of colleagues.

“The Birmingham Vineyard Church have supported the service for three years and once a month they will bring us over £100 worth food and toiletries for our homeless patients.”

So how do colleagues get in touch with the team?

Helen explained: “The referral process is quick and easy. You can either set the homeless flag on EBMS or simply telephone one of the team.

“It’s a very important service which is supportive to our patients. We had a total of 403 patients referred for the year and of those, 341 received an intervention from our team.

“The figures speak for themselves and show that we are providing a much-needed initiative which is essential in helping to support vulnerable patients in our care.”