This module is designed as an introduction for social care and healthcare practitioners to gain an understanding of the barriers faced by people experiencing homelessness when accessing healthcare.

The module is delivered within the Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, by clinicians working in the speciality. 

It is suitable for healthcare practitioners working at the forefront of care delivery, who need to plan, manage and deliver healthcare to the vulnerable homeless population.

Aims:

• To raise awareness of the impact homelessness has on people’s health and wellbeing, and ways practitioners can positively influence health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.
• Demonstrate knowledge and awareness of barriers faced by people experiencing homelessness when accessing and receiving health care.
• Reflect and adapt own practice to overcome the barriers and effectively work with approaches that enable better health care in the homeless population.
• Enabling students to work and communicate effectively across different agencies beyond the traditional boundaries of the health care system.
• Understand the importance of the multidisciplinary team supporting the patient, and multi-agency decision making with the person at the centre

Available as a standalone module: Yes 

Typical intake: Semester 2, January intake.  

Venue: Taught in person at CLCH.

Indicative Content

• What is homelessness?
• Tri-morbidity of health
• Substance Use
• Safe guarding
• Mental Health
• Marginalised Groups
• Neuro-diversity
• Brain injury
• Trauma informed communication
• Cross agency working
• Housing/accommodation pathways

Career Benefits

This module seeks to provide focus and direction for practitioners who wish to develop their skills and expertise in the healthcare of the homeless. The module aims to enable an individual practitioner to have broader competence skills to progress in a direction that meets workforce, meeting the needs of the future NHS as outlined in the Five Year Forward View by the Department of Health, NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and the HEE agenda for Clinical Academic Careers Framework. 

This encompasses multi-professional working and a sharing of expertise and skills across traditional professional boundaries and fields as new services and roles are being developed to meet current and future challenges in homeless health delivery. Completion of this Module should help the practitioner to be in a better position to progress in their career, with a focus on equality and diversity of the homeless health population or/and to work in this specialised area.