Homeless reduction act in England: impact on health services

Abstract

Homeless pathway coordinators offer support to local hospitals for post-discharge planning and avoid discharging homeless patients when they know they have nowhere to go.3 Services to identify and effectively manage repeat attenders of emergency departments in liaison with homeless outreach teams, primary care services, and local authorities have also been piloted.4 Such projects aim to reduce the number of accident and emergency attendances,4 although rigorous academic evaluations are not available. Mary Turner/Reuters Many factors, often in various combinations, can lead to homelessness, including relationship breakdown, being asked to leave the family home, drug and alcohol addiction, leaving prison, mental health problems, eviction, debt and poverty, and problems with benefits payments.8 The act is a positive move; however, large-scale system change is also required. Injury, poisoning, and external causes are the leading cause of death among homeless people in high-income countries.13 Services to prevent and manage substance use, mental illness, and communicable diseases can be better linked with each other, and where possible provided under the same roof.