We have been coordinating the London COVID-19 Homeless Health Response, as a multi-agency approach to managing the health needs and minimising the transmission of COVID-19 within the homeless population in London. Please see a range of resources, information and further contacts below.
Frequently Asked Questions for hostels, and homeless hotels when dealing with COVID-19 (updated July 2021)
Roadmap easing and considerations for the London homeless sector
In light of national changes to Covid-19 restrictions, HLP held a webinar featuring a panel of homeless health experts to share considerations on Covid-19 prevention, infection and control measures and vaccinations for accommodation providers in London.
Presentation materials can be viewed here.
The live webinar took place on July 19 2021. View the recording below.
Presentation times are as below:
01:00 Jemma Gilbert, Healthy London Partnership; overview of session
04:00 Professor Andrew Hayward; what freedom day means for the homeless sector
14:00 Professor Al Story; considerations on the more transmissible Delta variant and mitigating measures
27:25 Dr Sarah Kaddour; infection prevention and control in homeless settings
40:30 St Mungo’s, Elaine Speight, Steven Davies; how hostel settings are navigating changes in guidance, maintaining Covid secure measures and how to approach communication and messaging for residents and staff
53:25 Natasha Davies, Vicki Piquet; community testing, support for providers and considerations on testing and vaccinations for people sleeping rough
See additional responses to questions submitted by webinar attendees.
Covid vaccination toolkit for homeless health
Covid-19 vaccines for London Homelessness Care and Support workers and volunteers
Frontline homelessness care and support workers, including volunteers, are a priority group for COVID-19 vaccination.
Case studies
- The pan-London response: A podcast and a written case study on ‘Homeless health in London – the response to Covid-19’, covering the period March to early June 2020 have been created. For the podcast, click here and the written case study, click here. (both published June 2020)
- North West London CCGs response to ‘Everyone In’ – read the report (published October 2020)
New Covid variant information
With a new and more infectious Covid-19 variant putting infection prevention and control into event sharper focus, on 22 December 2020, HLP ran the ‘Homeless Health Covid Variant IPC’ webinar with experts Professor Andrew Hayward and Dr Al Story. Aimed at front line workers supporting those experiencing homelessness, the session analysed the new variant and its impacts and outlined effective prevention, infection and control solutions.
Below you can find a recording of the session, the presenters’ slide pack, a written log of answers to questions we did not have time to answer on the webinar, and also Tier-specific leaflets from Groundswell.
- HLP Homeless Health Covid Variant IPC webinar
- Webinar presentation slides
- Answers to questions asked at webinar
- Tier-specific leaflets from Groundswell (Dec 20)
Referrals for testing
If you have a resident showing COVID-19 symptoms, please refer to the Find and Treat Team
From Monday 20th July 2020 – if any residents have symptoms of COVID-19, please contact the Find and Treat Team by email: haltTeam.cnwl@nhs.net
Please complete this referral form available here.
For further information about what action hostels should take if they have a symptomatic case please see the frequently asked questions
General guidance
- Guidance on how to stop the spread of COVID-19 has been published in 30 languages
- NHS England and Improvement COVID-19 Clinical homeless sector plan: triage – assess – cohort – care
- COVID-19: guidance for hostel services for people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping
- Doctors of the World COVID-19 latest NHS guidelines translated into 60 languages
- Groundswell has developed resources to support people experiencing homelessness during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- Lessons learnt from councils’ response to rough sleeping during the COVID-19 pandemic
Guidance for commissioners
Moving on from hotels
- HDAS London information and support guides for drug and alcohol support (also translated in Romanian, Polish and Punjabi) and smoking cessation (also translated in Romanian, Polish and Punjabi)
- Groundswell leaflets for registering with a GP and GP preventative care including:
- Information about the NHS App to help clients check symptoms, book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view their summary care record.
- London NHS commitments to former rough sleepers being resettled in London.
Information for hotels
- COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings
- Hotel Frequently Asked Questions and guidance on adapting facilities and procedures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- Department of Health & Social Care signed Control of Patient Information (COPI) notice
- COVID symptoms notice for hotels. To be edited with local details, printed out and put under everyone’s door when they come in
- FAQs on PPE and cleaning for GLA-funded COVID-19 response hotels
- Homeless Health COVID-19 waste disposal pathway
Information for hostels
- Information bulletin on Covid infection control for hostels and other temporary housing providers
- COVID-19: management of staff and exposed patients or residents in health and social care settings
- Updated Government guidance – Covid-19: provision of night shelters (13/10/20
- Covid-19: guidance for commissioners and providers of hostel services for people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping
- Hostel Frequently Asked Questions and guidance on adapting facilities and procedures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
- Department of Health & Social Care signed Control of Patient Information (COPI) notice
Referrals to hotels and hostels
COVID CARE
Referrals for COVID CARE should be made using the following COVID testing/triage form and sent to Find&Treat at: haltteam.cnwl@nhs.net. The team can be contacted on: 02034479842.
All outreach referrals to CARE need to take place only with the agreement that if the client tests negative the referring team maintains responsibility.
Hospital discharge
- Hospital discharge guidance
- Management of Homeless Patients on discharge from hospital; hospital discharge to COVID CARE pathway, COVID CARE process map from hostels and hotels and COVID CARE referral form for hospital discharge
- Management of Homeless patients on discharge from the emergency department process and pathway
- Information on Duty to Refer
Please refer any homeless clients who attends a site directly to StreetLink London or contact your local Homeless Outreach team.
CHRISP health needs assessment – background and outcomes
The following documents refer to the COVID-19 Homeless Rapid Integrated Screening Protocol (CHRISP) health needs assessment tool, used during the first wave of the pandemic to screen the health and social care needs of street homeless clients who were accommodated in GLA hotels.
The CHRISP tool highlighted the need to consider all aspects of patient care: health, drug and alcohol support, and social care needs when planning discharge to move-on accommodation.
A modified Mini-CHRISP PLUS tool was also developed in July 2020 to allow non-clinical outreach workers to quickly identify those at increased risk to COVID-19 who needed to be shielded in appropriate accommodation:
Information for primary and community care
Webinar series: Homeless health, primary care and Covid
In June 2020, this HLP series featured experts with lived experience and specialist GPs:
- Webinar 1: Homeless health background, overview and London’s Covid response, with Dr Caroline Shulman and Dr Zana Khan – 8 June 2020. Watch again here.
- Webinar 2: Homeless health, Covid and the patient journey through general practice, with Groundswell’s Sharon Clint and Dr Jasmin Malik – 11 June 2020. Watch again here.
- Webinar 3: Homeless health, Covid and safer surgeries, with Doctors of the World – 12-1pm, 18 June 2020. Slides here.
- Webinar 4: Next steps for London: health needs assessments and the importance of MDTs, with Dr Binta Sultan, Dr Caroline Shulman, and guests from HDAS, Haringey, Kingston and Hackney. Watch again here.
Recommended PPE for primary, outpatient and community care by setting, NHS and independent sector
Drug and alcohol guidance
- PHE and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) COVID-19 guidance for commissioners and providers of services for people who use drugs or alcohol
- PHE operational advice for alcohol, drugs and nicotine in emergency accommodation for people experiencing rough sleeping
- Launch of Homeless Hotels Drug and Alcohol Support Service (HDAS London) and additional resources; smoking and COVID-19 guide for residents and smoking cessation product user guides for residents including JUUL e-cigarette, Vype ePen, nicotine mouth spray and pouch and Voke nicotine inhalator
- HDAS London – Drug and Alcohol service update 14 December 2020
- HDAS London – updated opening hours and service update (September 2020) – specialist support for hotel staff 9am-5pm Mon-Fri – click for details
- HDAS London workbooks on Cannabis, Cocaine and Crack, Alcohol (Polish translation), Heroin, Spice and 2 activity packs (activity pack 1 and activity pack 2)
- HDAS London link to training video for tobacco harm reduction and e-cigarettes
- Harm reduction strategies for alcohol dependence
- Additional resources and poster on substance misuse (article on supervised consumption during COVID-19 and information on naloxone including when and how to administer Prenoxad Injection)
Mental health guidance
If staff and clients are unsure where to get crisis guidance from, they are advised to call 111 and ask for the local mental health crisis line.
- Monitoring mental health clients
- Safety Plan form for clients with suicidal ideation
- Self-harm alternative coping strategies
- Getting Help in a Mental Health Crisis (Westminster example)
- Resources to support hotel, hostel, NHS and housing staff working with adults who are homeless
Palliative and End of life care
- Guidance and six-step approach for talking about care, death and dying during coronavirus
- Homelessness & palliative care material produced by Pathway
- St Mungo’s My Life, My Choices leaflet on providing quality end of life care for residents
- Practical palliative care
- Homelessness and palliative care
- NHS London guidance on symptom control using non-oral non-parental routes of medication administration during COVID-19
Contact
For more information contact the team at hlp.homelesshealthcovid19team@nhs.net
