Transforming out-of-hospital care for people who are homeless. Support Tool & Briefing Notes: complementing the High Impact Change Model for transfers between hospital and home

In this briefing paper we draw on research findings to outline how commissioners and providers can develop out-of-hospital care that will deliver consistently, safe timely transfers of care for adults who are homeless. We draw on the findings of a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded evaluation of the ‘Homeless Hospital Discharge Fund’ (HHDF) (Department of Health, 2013). The HHDF provided £10 million funding to the voluntary and community sector to work in partnership with the NHS and local authorities to address
problems such as ‘discharge to the street’ (when a homeless person is discharged in the knowledge that they have nowhere to live). We provide evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different models and configurations of specialist services piloted through the HHDF, and a ‘road map’ or checklist of the complex set of factors that decision-makers should consider in order to make services as inclusive as possible. The checklist can also be used to highlight existing areas of weaker provision and as a tool to compliment the ‘High
Impact Change Model for Improving Transfers of Care Between Hospital and Home’ (HICM) (LGA, 2019).