Replicating Pathway’s homeless health hospital team model to towns and cities experiencing significant homelessness Pathway

At least 70% of homeless people have physical and/or mental health problems, and many don’t seek care until they are seriously ill. They are often repeatedly admitted to hospital and need to stay longer than those who aren’t homeless because their health is failing so badly, or they have nowhere safe to recover.

Pathway is a homeless health charity that has developed an integrated care model to address this problem. Pathway’s hospital team service model improves health care for homeless patients in hospital. Pathway teams are clinically led, multi-disciplinary teams that support and advocate for homeless patients in hospital, and ensure they are safe and supported on discharge.

Pathway teams include specialist GPs, nurses and people with lived experience of homelessness who are trained to support homeless patients. Larger teams also offer support from occupational therapists, mental health practitioners, and housing and social workers.

Through the Exploring Social Franchising programme, Pathway spread its hospital team model to more hospitals around the country, in a financially sustainable way, and at a faster rate than had been previously achieved.

Pathway developed an online operations manual, a structured support package and processes to help the network of teams through regular meetings, shadowing and sharing of innovations.

‘Partnership agreements’ have been established with five new sites, as well as one ‘Legacy’ Pathway team in Leeds which has a considerably expanded service. These partnership agreements emphasise local ownership and direction of the programme.

Pathway is also supporting a number of other sites that are interested in understanding the local case for a Pathway team; conducting structured needs assessments for local commissioners, business planning, and supporting local champions.

Contact information

For more information about this project, please contact Alex Bax, Chief Executive, Pathway.