St Ann’s Hospice hosts homelessness palliative care learning event
The event, Changing the Narrative: Impactful Palliative Care for People Experiencing Homelessness, brought together leaders and frontline workers from across sectors, and presented key findings from St Ann's Homeless Palliative Care Service.
St Ann’s Hospice yesterday brought together professionals and frontline workers from heath, housing, local authority, social care and third sector services and sector-leading guest speakers at a learning event about the experiences of death and dying for people experiencing homelessness.
St Ann’s has been running a Homeless Palliative Care Service across the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester since 2020, funded as a five-year scoping project by the National Lottery Community Fund (formerly the Big Lottery Fund).
Colleagues, partners and collaborators from across Greater Manchester and beyond were invited to the event at Friends Meeting House in Manchester City Centre to hear the key findings from the project, to consider them together and drive meaningful change.
St Ann’s have this week published an evaluation report of the Homeless Palliative Care Service. As it stands, the service will end in January 2025 as further funding has not yet been secured.
Speaking at the event were Heidi McIntyre and Niamh Brophy, current and former Homeless Palliative Care Coordinators at St Ann’s; Professor James Kingsland OBE, a primary care physician, national clinical lead of a programme that addresses health inequalities across England and world authority on heathcare reform; and Dr Gemma Yarwood and Dr Gary Witham, senior researchers in Substance Use and Associated Behaviours at the School of Nursing and Public Health at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Also presenting were Dr David Waterman, Medical Director at St Ann’s and Greater Manchester Palliative Clinical Lead; Ryan Young, Inclusion Health GP Lead at Brownlow Homeless Health Inclusion Service in Liverpool; Hayley Jones, Director of Homeless Services and Katie Taylor, Director of Specialist Services at YMCA Hestia House in Liverpool; and Beth Plant, Funding Manager from the National Lottery Community Fund.
Many of the speakers touched on the fact that Manchester faces one of the most severe homelessness challenges in the UK, ranking third-highest for homelessness per capita.
People experiencing homelessness – in all its forms – are known to be one of the groups who experience inequitable access to palliative and end-of-life care.
As homelessness continues to rise across the UK, so too does the level of advanced, deteriorating ill health, which is reflected in the increasing number of deaths. Many of the day’s speakers emphasised the need for equitable access to palliative care being essential to improve the experience of death and dying for people experiencing homelessness. Often this can mean people dying as comfortably as possible, in a dignified way, in a place of their choosing.
Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive of St Ann’s, opened and closed the event. She said:
“This event represents an invaluable opportunity to come together with a common purpose: addressing the critical needs of people experiencing homelessness who are facing life-limiting illnesses. Homelessness is compounded by unmet health needs and shortened life expectancy. This work is more urgent than ever. Together, we will discuss how we can expand our reach and deepen our impact.
By uniting our knowledge and resources and having a mindset of collaboration, we can build a healthcare system that is more accessible, inclusive, responsive, and compassionate, ensuring that support reaches everyone who needs it. Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive, St Ann’s Hospice
The theme of collaboration was echoed throughout the day by speakers and attendees.
Since St Ann’s launched the Homeless Palliative Care Service, it has delivered over 131 case-managed interventions, provided more than 250 digital services to reduce exclusion, and offered significant and consistent in-reach support to high-need hostels.
Rachel said: “Our trauma-informed, flexible approach has shown the profound impact that inclusive, tailored care can have on those who might otherwise feel invisible within the healthcare system.”
Emma Dixon, Director of Clinical Services at St Ann’s, hosted the event, and Emma Barclay, Head of Clinical Services, conducted a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) panel discussion focusing on a case study of a person experiencing homelessness who was cared for at St Ann’s Hospice in the last year, highlighting both the positive outcomes achieved and the challenges of this work.
The event was closed with a call to action for those in the room to commit to improving outcomes for those experiencing homelessness.
By investing our time, resources, and collective commitment, we can ensure that no one, regardless of their circumstances, faces their journey alone. Let’s seize this moment to drive meaningful change, expanding support and improving outcomes for those experiencing homelessness in our communities. Rachel McMillan, Chief Executive, St Ann’s Hospice
The evaluation report of the Homeless Palliative Care Service at Ann’s Hospice is available to download from our website here.
For more information on the Homeless Palliative Care Service, or to make a referral if you are a health or social care professional (including support workers and hostel staff), see our website here.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything with our Homeless Palliative Care Coordinator, please email Heidi McIntyre at HMcIntyre@sah.org.uk.