An innovative pilot scheme was created in July 2018 funded by Rough Sleeper Grant money from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government to reduce the number of rough sleepers in Ipswich. Part of this money was used to fund a specialist mental health practitioner to work with individuals who are either rough sleeping or at high risk of becoming homeless. The pilot has shown to have a positive impact on the lives of clients, helping to get people into accommodation and prevent people from losing their accommodation while at the same time having improved mental health.
This client group are known to have multiple and complex needs including to likely have suffered multiple past trauma and abuse, to use substances, have very poor mental and physical health and criminal behaviour often related to their substance use. This client group is well known to struggle to engage with traditional mental health services as well as other health services.
The senior mental health practitioner who was also a non-medical prescriber worked proactively on the streets and integrated with other services including the homeless drop in centre, hostels, night shelter, the police, probation and the health outreach service as well as other mental health teams. The practitioner provided support and treatment in a variety of areas including mental health assessment, medication, talking therapy and assisting clients to access support from a wide range of generic and specialist services to meet their needs, including mental health, physical health, social support, housing etc.
To evaluate the service a research study and a service evaluation was completed. This included questionnaires sent to service users and clinical staff, and a case study on client experience. To read more on the positive outcomes, please read the attached file.
The scheme has been funded by Ipswich Borough Council who have commissioned this dedicated mental health service from Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust. Funding has continued beyond the pilot, and learning from the scheme is being shared locally and nationally.
For further information, please contact Jonathan Dickson, Senior Mental Health Practitioner/Non-Medical Prescriber, Rough Sleeping Project, NSFT [email protected]
You can download and read the full paper here