Homeless people with multiple and complex health conditions are missing out on the care they need because of a lack of specialist provision, charity says.
A new study by the homelessness charity St. Mungo’s examines the provision of care services for people who have experience of homelessness.
It found that there is a very limited supply of specialist care homes which can cater for the needs of people with complex care requirements resulting from homelessness.
The charity’s review, which was carried out in partnership with the Co-Clinical Lead of the Homeless Health Programme at Healthy London Partnership Dr Caroline Shulman, collated data from 31 of its non-Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered services and reflects the needs of 1,442 clients.
It found that there are many people in these services who require some level of care input, and some whose additional care requirements are not being fully met. These include people requiring support with dementia (5%), people with self-neglect/self-care issues (12%) and people with deteriorating health (29%).
As well as the limited supply of specialist care homes, the study also found that challenges in seeking and securing a Care Act assessment, which is the process by which people’s care needs are identified and addressed, also proved to be a barrier for homeless people attempting to access care services.
The capacity and efficacy of adult social care provision in some areas also prevented people who have experienced homelessness from accessing timely care.
St Mungo’s interim chief executive Rebecca Sycamore said: ‘Health and homelessness are inextricably linked. It is a fact that people who have lived on the streets have significantly higher medical and care needs, and we know that the legacy of poor health resulting from sleeping rough can last a lifetime.
‘As a result specialised accommodation, designed to meet both a person’s housing and care needs, is required but is currently sadly lacking.
‘People with lived experience of homelessness should receive parity of provision, and not miss out because of lack of access. Everyone deserves to live with dignity and care.’
