Homelessness project receives award

A project aimed at improving care for homeless people has been recognised with an award.

East Kent Hospitals staff worked with people who have experienced homelessness to develop training to help clinical colleagues use a holistic approach when treating a patient with no fixed address.

It was led by Vicki Jerram from the Trust’s patient voice and involvement team, and received an award from Healthwatch Kent at a ceremony on Wednesday.

Members of the Emmaus community in Dover shared their stories with the team, to highlight the need for care, compassion and understanding.

Adam Littlefield, lead for patient voice and involvement, said: “We are very grateful to the Emmaus Companions, as they are known, for their honesty and willingness to share their stories and help us improve our services, and delighted the project has been recognised with an award.

“Their personal experiences are hugely impactful and highlight the need to consider a wide range of issues outside of someone’s immediate health problem.

“For example, how easy is it for a homeless person to access medication? Or do they have somewhere to go when they are discharged, particularly if it is late at night or early in the morning?”

The team met with 27 people living at Emmaus Dover and their feedback led to the creation of the new training for frontline staff, which began across the Trust late last year.

It tackles three themes: labelling, bias and misunderstandings, prescriptions, and safe discharges.

One man said: “The times I spent on the street I found it very difficult to access services.

“Sometimes it appeared as soon as I told them I had no fixed abode it was a whole different kind of ball game for me and I felt I was being shunned or looked at in a different way.

“I’m a human being, like everyone else, and I should not feel discriminated against or that I can’t be treated or pushed to the back of the queue.

“I have the same needs as anybody else does when I’m ill and I need help.”

Adam said: “It was clear from the feedback that people who are homeless can feel abandoned when leaving hospital, or that they are not treated with the same amount of respect as other patients.

“It’s important to focus on the amount of positive feedback we heard about our services too, and we heard lots of examples of how we go the extra mile for patients.

“We are really keen that everyone has a good experience so the training tackles the issues they raised and we are looking forward to seeing the impact on patient care.”

The Trust also has a dedicated homelessness team, who are also available for advice and guidance, and who can help with referrals for housing or charity support.