Our work Health & Housing Integration in Action Integration in Action The closer integration of health and social care has been a stated ambition for successive system reforms, and remains a policy and practice priority. Care & Repair England continues to highlight the value of including housing services in such integration. This benefits patients as well as the NHS e.g. through health improvements, reduced risk of housing related ill health/ injury, improved hospital discharge, prevention of falls etc. The NHS viewpoint about health and housing connections is summarised in their 'Quick Guide: Health and Housing' Integration of Housing Help into Hospitals Reducing length of stay in hospitals, preventing avoidable admissions and making hospital discharge more efficient are high priorities for the NHS. As well as the detailed policy documents, the NHS has published a number of practical summary guides, including a Quick Guide: Discharge to Assess. Hospitals and the Covid-19 pandemic In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, preventing hospital admissions and discharging patients as soon as is is clinically safe to do so has become an even greater focus of NHS plans and targets. The model of *'Discharge to Assess' and 'Home First' to speed up discharge from hospital to home has, in some areas, prompted closer working arrangements with housing services as their role in enabling safer discharge from hospital to home is increasingly recognised. The latest NHS Guidance concerning Hospital Discharge (July 21) is available here. *‘Whereby people who do not require an acute hospital bed for a medical reason, but who may still require care services, are provided with short term, funded support to be discharged to their own home (where appropriate) or another community setting. ‘ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Integration in Action - The Results Care & Repair England has documented local examples of 'Integration in Action' where housing services are involved in health services and/ or delivering innovative help which are both improving people's health and benefiting the NHS. The impacts and benefits of these Integration in Action local housing services include: NHS BENEFITS Prevented/ reduced risk of acute health episodes and unplanned hospital admissions Reduced GP visits Reduced risk of hospital readmission Reduction in hospital discharge delays Fewer GP visits/ calls on other health professionals’ time Falls risk reduction Frail elderly reduced health risks SOCIAL CARE BENEFITS Reduced risk of premature admission to residential care Extended safe, independent living at home for at-risk groups Improved carers’ health and wellbeing BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUALS Improved older people’s’ physical health, mental health and wellbeing Improved safety, security and ability to live well at home Reduced social isolation Increased resilience and ability to manage future life changes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Local Integration Exemplars Sets out the benefits of delivering housing help for hospital patients. Shows how Manchester Care & Repair's Home from Hospital service improves the homes, health and lives of older and disabled people Decribes how linking hospitals and GPs to the Southwark Home Improvement Agency and Handyperson service benefits patients and the NHS An evaluation of the Preston Care & Repair Handyperson Service demonstrated the cost benefits/ Return On Investment to the NHS and impacted on reduce risk to the physical and mental health of older people. Full report available here High rate of Return on Investment (ROI) fiscal and societal. Falls reduction alone FROI was 4.28:1 i.e. for every £1 spent on the handyperson service health and social care saved £4.28 Demonstrates how the Homewise Memory Matters practical service is delivering vital practical housing help plus vital information advice and assistance, for people with memory loss or dementia, and their carers, resulting in extended safe, independent living at home. Evidence summary of the impacts of the West of England (WECR) hospital based housing service that reduced delayed transfer of care through low cost housing interventions. Full evaluation report here. Summary of independent evaluation of the Warwickshire Age UK's initiative linking housing info, advice and practical help to GP practice and hospital settings, with resulting cost benefits and gains for patients. For every £1 spent on the service health and social care saved £17.50. Full evaluation report available here. This brochure describes the Age UK Nottingham & Nottinghamshire’s Silverlinks information, advice and housing help service for older people being discharged from hospital. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ARCHIVE Hospital 2 Home The Hospital 2 Home pack provides essential information for people working in health, housing, social care and the voluntary sector to help them to support older patients to return home safely after a hospital stay and reduce the risk of readmission. Creation of the pack was initiated by Care & Repair England and produced by a broad Task and Finish group with representatives from Chartered Institute of Housing, Housing LIN, British Geriatrics Society, Royal College of Nursing, ADASS, College of Occupational Therapists, British Red Cross, Age UK, Foundations, Local Government Association and the Kings Fund and supported by The Department of Communities and Local Government and the Department of Health. If only I had known…. Click here for: If only I had known...Integration of housing help into a hospital setting (2012) This report provides information about policy drivers which support the integration of housing help into a hospital setting with illustrative practice examples and cost benefit analysis of individual cases where housing improvements have saved health and care costs Click here for: If Only I had known……..An evaluation of the local hospital linked pilot projects (2012). This report provides evidence and information about local pilot projects which pioneered the integration of housing help into a hospital setting Click here for Summary Brochure about If only I had known [March 2012]