Dramatic Rise In Hospital Admissions For Rough Sleepers
The number of rough sleepers being admitted to hospital has risen by 130% over the past five years – and more than 500 admissions each week now relate to homelessness.
A report into the issue by the King’s Fund revealed that nearly 28,000 people were admitted to hospital in England with a primary or secondary diagnosis of homelessness in 2018-19 – up from 24,500 the previous year. It said rough sleepers often find it hard to access services due to practical barriers such as not owning a phone, as well as the belief among some staff that patients need a home address to register for GP services. This can often lead to health issues not being picked up until they are more serious and require hospital treatment, said the report.
Around a third of deaths are the result of treatable medical conditions like respiratory disease and HIV, according to the report. The King’s Fund said people sleeping rough rarely fit neatly into service specifications, and have called for health, housing and care staff to be given greater flexibility to look beyond tight eligibility criteria for services and “do the right thing” for the individual.
Julia Cream, fellow at the think tank and lead author of the report said: “People who sleep rough are living on the margins of society and […] can face a toxic combination of drug and alcohol dependence, poor mental health, childhood trauma, abuse, and domestic violence. No one agency has all the solutions – health, housing, care and criminal justice all have to work hand in hand. Our research shows that the health and care of people who sleep rough can be improved when long-term funding is combined with local collaboration, listening to the needs of people who sleep rough and enabling staff to do the right thing.”
Responding to the report, Cllr David Renard, the Local Government Association’s housing spokesman added: “Councils are determined to prevent rough sleeping and homelessness from happening in the first place, and these worrying figures show that more needs to be done. The funding announced last week to tackle rough sleeping will help councils’ efforts to get people off the streets and into safe accommodation, and reduce hospital admissions related to homelessness.”
“If we are to properly address this then the government should use the Budget next week to adapt welfare reforms to protect families at risk of becoming homeless, and restore local housing allowance rates to cover at least the lowest third of market rents. With powers and funding to spark a genuine renaissance in council house-building, councils can also provide the homes, including social homes for rent, that are desperately needed to help boost affordability, home ownership and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping. This includes urgent reform to the Right to Buy scheme, to enable councils to keep all sales receipts and set discounts locally.”
The National Housing Federation’s CEO, Kate Henderson said: “This report on the sharp increase in hospital admissions related to homelessness is a stark reminder of the devastating impact rough sleeping and homelessness has on people’s lives. The government’s recent commitment to end rough sleeping by 2024 is welcome, and the current funding available for emergency support and accommodation is a useful first step.”
“But in the long term we must also build more housing that people on the lowest incomes can afford – homes for social rent. The report also rightly highlights the importance of collaboration between the NHS, housing associations, councils and other organisations. Housing associations are committed to achieving both of these things. The upcoming budget provides the opportunity for the government to commit funding to tackle this crisis once and for all.”
