A number of Liverpool residents will be the first in the country to have their living conditions integrated into official NHS records, in a bid to further align housing with health outcomes in the UK.
Housing association Prima Group and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust have joined forces to launch Healthy@Home, a pilot project aiming to improve connections between housing conditions with medical and wellbeing support.
Prima Group has written to over 220 of its tenants in Wavertree and Picton in the east of the city inviting them to take part in the trial that will also help tackle health inequalities. The housing association has shared a list of its properties in these areas with Mersey Care and with tenant consent, NHS colleagues will review property information to identify those who may benefit from additional support.
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Regulation such as Awaab’s Law have enshrined the responsibility for social landlords when it comes to resident wellbeing and health, and voices from both sectors have been vocal about the need for synergy between health services and housing providers. At a recent roundtable held by Alertacall, the need for shared data between health and housing services was called for as a priority a Britain prepares to provide care for a steadily ageing population.
Tenants who choose to take part will meet jointly with a member of Mersey Care’s Integrated Care Team and their designated Prima Group neighbourhood housing officer. Together they will assess whether practical, bespoke improvements could be made to the tenant’s home to help boost their health, independence and safety.
Prima Group Housing Manager, Lisa Caldwell, said: “Living conditions play a major role in people’s health so it is vital that housing and health professionals work together.
“This pilot brings GPs, Integrated Care Teams and neighbourhood housing officers together to better understand tenants’ living situations and improve their health and wellbeing.
“This will help us provide early interventions allowing people to stay healthy at home so we really encourage the tenants we have invited to get in touch and take part in the pilot.
“With social housing tenants facing some of the biggest health inequalities in society, this pioneering project will improve their independence while reducing avoidable pressure on NHS services.
“Tenants can also rest assured that no personal or medical information will be shared with us.”
The project is being part-funded by the Fusion21 Foundation, a registered charity which helps build brighter futures in the communities where procurement experts Fusion21 operate. The work is also supported by NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and local GPs from Picton Primary Care Network.
Wes Baker, Director of Strategic Analytics, Economics and Population Health Management at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Connecting housing data with health records is exactly the kind of joined up thinking the NHS needs more of.
“Understanding someone’s living conditions alongside their clinical picture allows earlier, more effective intervention. This pilot demonstrates what truly integrated data looks like in practice.”
