NHS Data Reveals Humanitarian Crisis

An interesting article out this week from The Guardian newspaper highlighted some key data provided by the NHS.

The Guardian has revealed that since 2014 there is a staggering 30% increase in hospital discharges with no fixed abode.

Experts have warned of a growing humanitarian crisis in England after instances of patients leaving hospital with nowhere to go rose by nearly a third between 2014 and 2018. Thousands of homeless patients were readmitted within six months, according to figures obtained by the Guardian.

It is also being highlighted that NHS England’s guidance for freeing up beds allows for homeless patients to be discharged if they are not deemed to be a priority for housing or further care, raising the concern of the growing number of homeless deaths.

Stephen Robertson, the chief executive of the Big Issue Foundation, said “This is a sign of increasing demand and decreasing resources, and it is creating a humanitarian issue, which in the worst-case scenario is producing people living and dying on the streets of their country.”

The fill article can be read at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/13/nhs-data-shows-rise-in-homeless-patients-returning-to-streets