Barnet Homes has been working in partnership with North Central London NHS services. Together, we have identified a need to improve support for vulnerable Barnet residents who are experiencing housing difficulties while they are being treated in hospital. A resident may have no fixed home to return to after their stay in hospital, or they may need help to ensure that their home is medically fit to return to.
Once they are well enough to leave hospital, if a resident cannot move to a property that is medically suitable, they may need to extend their stay in hospital until a suitable property is found. In some cases, this can cost the NHS around £700 per bed per day.
To help address this problem, Barnet Homes has secured funding to recruit a ‘Health and Housing Navigator’. The Navigator will work within hospitals to help Barnet residents with housing related issues. The Navigator will aim to improve the wellbeing of Barnet’s vulnerable residents by helping them to access necessary services. In turn, this should help to ease pressure on NHS bed spaces.
If this one-year pilot activity is successful, we will seek to access more funding to improve the support for residents who face complex issues in health and housing.