An Out of Hospital Care Model is being piloted as part of the wider Salford Dual Diagnosis Homeless Team (SDDHT) at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. SDDHT is a partnership team that has close working relationships with the Inclusion Health GP Service. The new model aims to support patients and service users coming out of hospital who are at risk of homelessness.
A full time Dual Diagnosis Practitioner working in partnership with a Housing Officer, based full time on an acute ward allows for joint working and a more holistic approach to discharge from hospital. Since the launch of the pilot in June 2021, five individuals have already benefited from the new pathway.
Emma Dallyn, Dual Diagnosis Practitioner from the Salford Dual Diagnosis Homeless Team said: “We are aware that for people experiencing homelessness it can be a real struggle to access healthcare, unlike the general population, so health outcomes are often very poor. We are hoping that this pilot will mean fewer repeat admissions to Salford Royal Hospital and generally improved health outcomes for this extremely vulnerable group of individuals.”
“I started in post at the end of 2021 and in this time, through working closely with the wards at Salford Royal Hospital, we have successfully identified and housed one rough sleeper into out of hospital accommodation in Eccles who is continuing to do well with our support in his new accommodation.”
“My role is to help ensure that homeless people coming through Salford Royal Hospital are getting all their care needs met. This includes getting the right support for substance misuse, mental health and social care, as well as their physical health care needs.”
One patient who received help through the model said: “After two years of being homeless, sleeping on the streets, I got fobbed off so many times trying to get help, I was ready to give up. The help I have received from Emma and her colleagues has been brilliant. From going into hospital to coming out I have felt so well supported, I can’t thank them enough for all the help they have given me. So many people could benefit from this type of service.”
A housing worker colleague said: “Having Emma as a point of contact from the hospital has been amazing and makes things so much easier for me to get access to help for my clients if needed.”
The pilot draws on already established partner relationships to set up discharge pathways for homeless people at Salford Royal Hospital. The pathways will create a smoother transition to the community after discharge from hospital and prevent readmissions to A&E. Along with Salford Primary Care Together, the Out of Hospital Care Model hopes to improve health and social care outcomes in the community.
The work is part of a wider national research project and builds on partnerships formed from the GM Housing programme and the established Dual Diagnosis Team.
