Homeless Health Inclusion Team

Our mission: We aim to increase health and wellbeing inclusion for Brighton and Hove’s Homeless and insecurely housed population by offering an inclusive service that may eventually lead to the client’s ability to access mainstream health services.

Our team: We are a non-urgent specialist community physical health team made up of Nurses, Nurse Prescribers, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Assistants.

Our speciality: We support homeless people who engage with their physical health needs who have tri morbidity care needs e.g. psychological and mental health issues, substance use issues, social care needs, and palliative and long term chronic health conditions.

We work with people who:

• Experiences homelessness: living in temporary/emergency accommodation/housing first and rough sleeping
• Are unable with support from key workers to accesses standard NHS services to meet their physical health needs
• Have unmet physical health needs that are not being addressed by other NHS services

Services we deliver include:

• Nurse and therapy one to one appointments in emergency, supported and temporary accommodation 
• Nurse led clinics in supported accommodations
• Nurse and Physio day centre drop-ins for rough sleepers
• Outreaching to people on the streets and all vulnerably housed people
• Occupational therapy groups 
• Nurse in-reach in A+E to support a person through hospital
• Support to people who are physically deteriorating and frail: Homeless Intermediate care service (Step down and step away)
• Palliative care and end of life care
• Mental Capacity Assessments

Working with other teams:

• We closely work with other agencies
• We advocating for our patients at Multi-Agency Meetings including SafeGuarding 
• We Signposting to other services

Who you can refer to and what we support:                                                                         

Occupational therapists: Supporting everyday occupations: cooking, personal care, managing household tasks, leisure activities, voluntary work, new hobbies and life skills to live more independently.  Equipment provision to assist daily living and palliative care, coping strategies for relaxation & anxiety management, group activities: we create comfortable spaces where people meet and enjoy activities such as art, craft, cooking, fishing, walking etc

Physiotherapist: Falling, balance issues, new musculoskeletal issues, persistent musculoskeletal pain, mobility issues, respiratory issues, post orthopaedic procedures rehabilitation

Nurse: Tissue Viability (wound and skin care), support around understanding medications and medication management, administering new injections, support for long term conditions e.g. diabetes, asthma, liver disease, continence (bowel and bladder assessment and support) sexual health, infectious diseases

Hospital liaison nurse: Support in A&E and on admission, regular visits during your hospital stay, liaising with hospital staff to advocate patients concerns, discharge planning/setting up support services to the community and the Homeless Intermediate Care Service (Step down and Step away) 

Deteriorating patient/complex case management: Medium to Long-term coordination of care and intensive support from all practitioners as required to support clients who may have the following needs: frailty, palliative care, end of life care, safeguarding, mental capacity, continuing health care