This paper is one of a series of six commissioned by Pathway to inform policy development through the NHS 10-year plan and the cross-Government homelessness strategy.
Drawing on the expertise of our Pathway Fellows, other experts, and our colleagues with lived experience of homelessness, each paper identifies actionable policies for change. All the papers underline the importance of a preventative approach, prioritising action which stops social and economic disadvantage leading to exclusion, collapsing health and early mortality.
You can watch the launch of our Policy Papers for Inclusion Health here.
Transforming Hospital Care for Inclusion Health – Improving Treatment, Discharge and Community Links
While maximising the preventative potential of general practice is critical to address the poor health outcomes experienced by health inclusion groups, hospitals will continue to play an essential role for groups of people who have long faced poor access to healthcare and a high burden of disease.
However, more often than not hospitals fail to provide the comprehensive holistic care required for these groups, resulting in a range of negative outcomes, including discharge to the street and multiple repeat admissions.
In this paper Dr Chris Sargeant explores the reasons behind inadequate hospital care, including a lack of understanding of the clinical issues facing health inclusion groups and the impact of stigma and discrimination.
Actionable evidence-based recommendations address these shortcomings, aimed at ensuring inclusion health groups and their needs are a priority for hospital staff and raising the quality of hospital care through the commissioning of multi-disciplinary specialist teams.
About the author
Dr Chris Sargeant has been involved in Inclusion Health since 1998, including as the GP Lead for the Brighton Pathway team since 2012. He has been the Medical Director of Pathway and Secretary to the Faculty of Homeless and Inclusion Health since September 2022. He is also a GP director of ARCH Healthcare specialist Primary Care service in Brighton and Hove which provides healthcare service for people facing homelessness.