Chris Hampson is Chief Executive at Look Ahead, a registered social landlord and specialist supported housing provider.
As we mark this year’s Starts at Home Day on Friday 29 August, we continue to reflect on the significant impact supported housing has on the lives of so many people nationwide. As a provider of over 120 care, support and housing services throughout London and the South East, we know this all too well.
At Look Ahead, our services are as diverse as the needs we cater for. Some of our supported housing services offer residents a comfortable forever home, whilst others give someone a safe space to re-build their lives and move forward into full, or greater independence after a couple of years.
Perhaps lesser known, but equally important, are our shorter-term crisis and hospital step-down schemes developed in partnership with NHS trusts. We currently have five supported housing services based on this model, focusing on that ever-important goal: bringing mental health crisis recovery away from hospitals and into the community.
A person may feel well enough to leave hospital after a crisis but may need additional support before they are ready to live more independently again.
So, they come and stay in one of these services for a few weeks, or less, before they return home or move into more permanent supported housing in line with their needs.
These services provide a crucial stopgap that helps somebody recover in a homely, non-clinical, but psychologically informed environment, where they can continue to engage with their local NHS home treatment team. During that time, they also have intensive, holistic support from Look Ahead staff. For instance, we can help with medication, managing mental health, and accessing benefits, alongside employment, training and educational opportunities. Our staff can also put the person in touch with other specialist support, for instance around substance and alcohol misuse. This support is intended to prepare a person for a lasting recovery going forward and decrease the likelihood of re-hospitalisation.
How do these services positively impact residents and communities?
Services of this kind really do make a difference. As a resident we supported at our Ibis step-down service in Newham, east London told The Guardian, this was “the best place for my recovery”.
Having been evicted from his home, and struggling with addiction and substance misuse, the man had been admitted to a mental health ward. After several weeks, he was ready to leave but had nowhere to go.
“I was really struggling in there [at hospital],” he said, “it was noisy and stressful at times. Living here, I feel like I can breathe and start getting myself back together again.”
Ibis ensured he had a roof over his head, and a safe and supportive environment where his needs could be assessed, and a tailored and positive move-on pathway found for him.
The service has also had a fantastic impact for public services as well. The East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT), who commission Ibis, have made impressive savings. They have reduced their spending on costly bed and breakfast-only placements that offer no additional support, and on out of borough placements. ELFT also naturally saw an increase in bed spaces on their wards. Results like these speak for themselves.
Importantly, we know services of this kind can work elsewhere. Back in January, we launched Well House as part of a new partnership with the North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) to offer a similar service, and benefits both to the trust and their patients.
Based in one of our properties in Redbridge, the specialist service offers a short-term alternative to an extended hospital stay for local people experiencing mental health crisis, some for the very first time. In some cases, it can even serve as an alternative to admission altogether.
The service offers 24-hour care, support and housing for up to seven people, providing a ‘home away from home’ environment with modern, fully furnished, self-contained flats.
Similar to Ibis, residents are treated onsite by trust clinicians and supported by Look Ahead staff towards lasting recovery and resilience. Residents usually stay for two to three weeks before returning home or moving into longer-term accommodation.
The service offers significant savings by preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and reducing the need for expensive private beds too. Since it opened, Well House has supported an impressive 59 people – people that otherwise would have had to be supported elsewhere, typically in more costly and less appropriate settings.
And the role of supported housing is being recognised – we are proud to have recently launched NHS England’s first 24-hour mental health service in the community in partnership with ELFT. The Barnsley Street Project is a neighbourhood mental centre in Tower Hamlets, the first of six such services to be piloted across England as part of the 10 Year Health Plan. Based at a Look Ahead property, the service is there for anybody known to local GP and mental health services and offers planned and drop-in sessions with psychiatrists, nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, peer support workers and third sector workers, including permanent Look Ahead support staff. For those who need it, there are several guest beds for short-term overnight stays too.
So, what can we take away from Well House, Ibis Step-down and the Barnsley Street Project? Well for us, these services provide a valuable reminder of the important role supported housing services can play in health and social care infrastructure. They provide a vital step between the NHS and living independently, generate significant savings and improved outcomes for commissioners and funders, and crucially, a better experience for individuals who may be struggling at one of the most difficult times of their lives.