About the Alliance

The GM VCSE Hospital Discharge Alliance is a group of VCSE service providers who have come together to:

 

Better understand what hospital discharge/home from hospital services are currently available in Greater Manchester, and their scope, reach, and activity

 

Identify the needs of local communities with regards to hospital admission and discharge, and the gaps in current commissioning & provision

 

Identify and include non-commissioned providers who are working in/interested in working in this space

 

Understand how better to coordinate with each other (e.g. cross boundary referrals, mutual aid)

---

Originally brought together to respond to Winter hospital pressures, the work of the Alliance has been widely recognised. The Alliance works towards longer-term goals to increase the role of the VCSE sector in providing home-from-hospital services and support, influence commissioning in this space, and create opportunities for more joined-up working.

---

Improving hospital discharge for people who are homeless

The GM VCSE Hospital Discharge Alliance (via 10GM), the GM Homelessness Action Network (GMHAN), and Petrus Community are working together to pilot a new intervention to improve hospital discharge experiences for homeless people. The project has been made possible through funding from 10GM and the GM Mayor’s Charity and will be delivered by Petrus Community.

The project is funded by 10GM, and will be delivered by Petrus Community to see a specialist Link Worker placed across Birch Hill Hospital and Rochdale Infirmary, who will be building on connections with partners across the primary care network and focus on identifying and supporting individuals at risk of homelessness. The Link Worker will act as a navigator to ensure the patients are safely discharged from hospital and referred to appropriate support networks.

Petrus will utilise and embed their current community offer, which includes access to primary care via the Homeless Alliance Response Team, and access to health and wellbeing initiatives, as well as their menu of socially prescribed activity across various sites, in collaboration with NHS England and GM Integrated Care.