Housing support 'is cost effective'

Hot on the heels of the Darzi review, the Integrated Care Network has published a study that suggests health and social care investment in housing support is cost-effective and can transform lives.

Commissioning Housing Support for Health and Wellbeing concludes that such investment can reduce demand for more costly services and ensure that service users reap the full benefits of other services such as health treatment.

It calls on commissioners in health and social care to incorporate housing support more fully into their commissioning strategies and care closer to home programmes.

The report, which was published jointly by the Integrated Care Network, Department of Health and Department for Communities and Local Government, says that by promoting health, independence and well-being, housing support ties in to several key national programmes. These include re-offending, employment, integrated care and choice in care and support.

Jeremy Porteus, national programme lead for Care Services Improvement Partnership Networks and chair of the housing group, said: "Integration and partnership working are increasingly the norm in health and social care. This report confirms that such thinking should clearly be extended to embracing housing support."

The report can be downloaded at www.icn.csip.org.uk