1. The Supporting People Health Pilots Geraldine Macdonald Queen’s University of Belfast

2. Supporting People The supporting people programme provides housing related support to over 1.2 million vulnerable people as a means to promote independent living. The programme provides housing related support as a means to prevent some of the problems that can lead to hospitalisation, institutional care or homelessness. It is partnership between local government, probation, health, the voluntary sector, housing associations and service users.

3. Rationale for the pilots Perceived difficulty engaging PCTs. Designed to demonstrate policy links and potential benefits to health and Social Care. Intended to highlight the benefits of joint working with Supporting People, using clear, measurable outcomes. To evaluate what helps and what hinders joint working. To disseminate findings.

4. Supporting People Health Pilots Evaluation AIMS: To demonstrate how Supporting People services can contribute to health outcomes To learn more about how organisations work across boundaries in order to make joint working more effective.

5. The Pilots SWAN NEST (Northampton) – supporting women leaving the sex industry through the provision of housing related support to link women into health services. On Track Young Person’s Dual Diagnosis project (Doncaster) – provision of tenancy support to young people with dual diagnosis which included linking them into health services SPIDERS (North Lincolnshire) – building knowledge and capacity at the commissioning level in relation to SP and its potential impact on the health agenda.

6. The Place to Live, Health and Supporting People project (Waltham Forest) – reviewing the housing and health needs of people with learning disabilities living in residential care or with older carers. Housing Support outreach and referral for hard-to-reach individuals living with HIV/AIDS (Southwark/Lambeth) – provision of tenancy support to homeless/at risk of homelessness people with HIV’ADIS, linking them into health care services. Sure Footed in Salford – development of strategic and operational joint working as a means to implement an integrated falls system

7. Working between SP and health… Factors that help: A shared understanding of why inter- professional working is necessary A shared understanding of why inter- professional working is necessary Creating a ‘win-win’ Creating a ‘win-win’ Existing relationships and enthusiasts Existing relationships and enthusiasts Joint working at both strategic and operational levels and effective communication between the two. Joint working at both strategic and operational levels and effective communication between the two. Clear and effective governance and management Clear and effective governance and management

8. Joint working Factors that hinder: No shared understanding or philosophy No shared understanding or philosophy Professional concerns about data protection, confidentiality, the professional credibility of the voluntary sector Professional concerns about data protection, confidentiality, the professional credibility of the voluntary sector Difficulties sharing data and establishing a baseline to monitor effectiveness Difficulties sharing data and establishing a baseline to monitor effectiveness Pressures within different sectors/agencies Pressures within different sectors/agencies Local contexts Local contexts

9. Can Supporting People promote better health? Experience from the pilots suggests ‘yes they can’ All the pilots succeeded in increasing the number and range of health services that vulnerable people were in touch with Many people using services are maintaining their tenancies, engaging with specialist health care services, Many are addressing long-standing problems such as drug and alcohol misuse.