The Government has committed to three strategic shifts for the NHS – from analogue to digital systems, from sickness to prevention, and to shift care from hospital to the community.
People facing homelessness are intensive users of acute care, making the quality of their admissions and discharges a key determinant of their successful engagement with community services. In particular, the provision of specialist intermediate care, providing short term care and support with recovery after an admission, will be an important part of making these shifts a reality for people facing homelessness.
Despite the well-established evidence base highlighting the merits of these services, efforts to implement any significant transformation in specialist intermediate care are still hampered by ongoing challenges.
This report explores some of these challenges and barriers associated with commissioning and delivering these services, as well as the opportunities to shift the dial and ensure that there is enough specialist intermediate care for everyone who needs it.