This commissioning guidance, revised April 2019, aims to support commissioners in London’s clinical commissioning groups to improve health services for people who are homeless.
It outlines 10 commitments for improving health outcomes for homeless people in London. Commissioners can use these commitments as guiding principles in their work to improve services.
Each commitment includes ideas and practical tips on how to commission high quality, timely and co-ordinated healthcare for people who are experiencing homelessness.
To identify these 10 commitments, we engaged with more than 100 NHS and non-NHS organisations across London, including all CCGs and many service providers. We also commissioned homeless charity Groundswell to speak to people who are homeless about their views and experiences of health services.
There are many examples of good practice across London, often simple ideas that can be adopted locally within regular healthcare settings to ensure people experiencing homelessness have the same access to healthcare as people who are securely housed. Examples of good practice and useful documents are also included under the relevant commitment.