Homeless Link calls for amendments to the Health & Social Care Bill

Health and Social Care Bill needs to be amended to meet the needs of homeless people. 

Eight in ten homeless people have one or more physical health need. For over half, this represents a chronic health problem. Homeless Link Health Needs Audit, 2010
 
As the Health and Social Care Bill goes through the House of Lords, we are working with the National Housing Federation and St Mungo’s to ensure the voices of homeless people are heard. 
 
People who are homeless are more likely to have poor physical and mental health*, yet their needs are often overlooked in needs assessments and decision making processes which inform health commissioning.
 
If homeless people cannot access the health services they need, this can result in worsening health for individuals and higher long-term costs to the NHS and our communities. It is therefore essential that homeless people remain a focus of the implementation of the health reforms, at a national level and in every local area.
 
The experience of our members and the individuals they work with tells us that more flexible, personalised health services that take a multi-agency approach to addressing needs can make the difference. The Health and Social Care Bill provides an opportunity to work towards this goal, but for this to happen more must be done to strengthen the legislation. 
 
We are calling for amendments that will: 
 
  • encourage greater accountability for reducing health inequalities and better integration of commissioning across health and social care
  • mean commissioners must report on what they have actually done to address health inequalities, to make the system more transparent 
  • introduce a tariff system that does not discourage the treatment of homeless people
 
 
* Rough sleepers experience TB at 200 times that of the known rate among the general population. Depression and anxiety are five times as common as with the general population. (Health Needs Audit, 2010)