Assessing health needs of people experiencing homelessness for Murrumbidgee PHN
Status: Completed May 2024
Client: Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network
Background
People experiencing homelessness face higher rates of physical and mental ill health, and greater barriers to accessing timely and appropriate care. Primary Health Networks (PHNs) across Australia have recently received additional investment in improving access to health services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Recognising that homelessness is an emerging priority affecting the health of communities in the Murrumbidgee region, the Murrumbidgee PHN engaged our team to undertake a regional health needs assessment (HNA) focused on people experiencing or at risk homelessness — the HNA would inform potential models of care, system-level improvements and future co-design activities.
Approach
We developed a structured HNA Framewowkr to guide our approach that aimed to identify current experiences of homelessness and housing insecurity, understand accessibility barriers and service gaps, and explore ways to strengthen access and coordination. We reviewed national and local-level data trends, consulted with services and stakeholders in a number of local communities across the region, and mapped existing primary health and social supports. We reviewed research and other examples of evidence about potential models. We shared our findings and the options that had emerged back with key stakeholders to validate what we’d learnt and inform our recommendations.
Outcome
The findings of the HNA provided a valuable snapshot of health and service needs for people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in communities across the region — these needs covered areas such as affordable and timely access to universal services, targeted outreach support, integration and improving how professionals and providers work with complexity.
We reported back to Murrumbidgee PHN with recommendations to consider in improving outcomes for people experiencing homelessness, including commissioning new services, prioritising this cohort in quality improvement activities and building workforce capability.
How this links to our vision of ‘a more impactful social purpose sector’
This project supports our vision of a more impactful social purpose sector by building a clearer understanding of the health needs of people experiencing homelessness and helping to ensure health service planning is grounded in good evidence, focused on equity, and responsive to local context.
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