Health

1
Health HomelessnessWorkshops

• March 2009

Working with you to make Highland the healthy
place to be
2
Background

• NHS Board Health Homelessness Action Plan.
  Part of overall inequalities agenda for NHS and
  partners.
• Multi-agency Steering Group in NHS Highland with
  CHP (Community Health Partnership) reps , council
  reps, voluntary sector reps
• CHPs inform and deliver much of the HH activity.
  Issue for mainstream frontline service delivery.
• Each Highland CHP has nominated HH lead(s)
  usually Public Health Practitioner(s)
• Current HH Action Plan being revised finalised
  for Board 4/09. CHPs asked to identify local
  actions for inclusion bottom up
• Workshops included in Action Plan
• Feedback and involvement of service users

3
Feedback from focus group (1)

• Focus Group, Inverness. Facilitated by SDF
  Service User Involvement Development Officer.
• Participants experienced rough sleeping, car,
  BB, temporary / supported accommodation.
  Several from outwith Inverness originally. Health
  issues included alcohol, drugs, mental health.
• Discussion broad not just health/NHS services
• Positive experiences day centre health team
  first place where people were not judgemental
  support workers (from eg vol orgs, Housing
  Support) OOH by AE Raigmore (formerly
  Nessdocs)

4
Feedback from focus group (2)

• Negative experiences refused GP registration
  (rural and town) as no address lack of time
  dont assess you properly or know what youve
  been through
• Lack of information about services whats
  available importance of information. One stop
  shop . Role of support workers/CPNs here
• No support until crisis youre left on your own
  till you get a drink problem get to rock
  bottom before you get help
• Waiting time for services need help now, not
  months down the line. Continuity of care
  important to prevent relapse
• Poor health can prevent working barrier to
  employment
• Changes of address/accommodation letters can be
  a problem why not use mobiles/texts?

5
Feedback from focus group (3)

• Difficulty getting job when living in BB
• Difficulty providing ID when homeless
• More staff from agencies need to be involved in
  tackling homelessness
• the more help you can get from all sources the
  better, including support groups, help with day
  to day activities, keeping yourself occupied
• Support to maintain tenancy if housing see you
  having problems keeping a tenancy together, they
  should get help for you
• Attitudes wash their hands of you as soon as
  you mention drugs loss of services if you slip
  up or they dont like your behaviour. Feeling
  judged, labelled or not listened to they think
  youre fabricating. Red tape gets worse if
  you challenge it.
• Lack of knowledge or understanding by services,
  especially decision-makers people who make the
  decisions dont have the understanding the
  higher up you go the less they know

6
Finally.

• Range of issues for homeless households
  social care needs health issues relationship
  breakdown violence children ..
• Joint work (health, housing, social work,
  voluntary sector, clients) to address whole needs
  of households to reduce health inequalities and
  promote wellbeing. Early intervention,
  prevention
• Knowing whos who, referral criteria, sharing
  information?
• Service user involvement and feedback
• Improve understanding of what homelessness is
• Mainstream/ general services rather than
  specialist services in rural areas