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Calls for homeless people to be prioritised for vaccine as data reveals extent of underlying health conditions
Rough sleepers should be given priority access to COVID-19 vaccines, as those sleeping on the streets are likely to be at risk of suffering from severe cases of the virus, research by a leading homelessness charity has found.
St Mungo’s is calling on the government to prioritise homeless people for the vaccine as research reveals that 20% of their clients have underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the virus #UKhousingAs part of a new report, homelessness charity St Mungo’s carried out a COVID-19 health assessment of 4,924 of its clients, 939 of whom lived in emergency hotels used to house rough sleepers during the pandemic.
Of those who were assessed, 1,005 (20%) had underlying health conditions that put them more at risk of suffering from acute cases of COVID-19, such as severe respiratory conditions. Meanwhile, 3,161 (64%) had no underlying health conditions and 763 (15%) were unknown.
Of the 939 people who were living in emergency hotels at the time of assessment, 203 (21%) were classed as vulnerable or extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 and 132 (18%) were not registered with a GP when they moved in.
St Mungo’s said this evidence shows that the government must start treating homelessness as a health issue, not just a housing issue, and start by ensuring homeless people are included in the priority group for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Homeless people have not been specifically included as part of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) guidance on vaccine prioritisation.
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The JCVI’s guidance currently states that care home residents and their carers should be the first group prioritised, followed by those aged over 80 and frontline health and care workers.
All those aged over 75 should then be prioritised, followed by those over 70 and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable individuals, the guidance states.
But a number of local authorities have taken the decision to prioritise homeless people, including Oldham, Redbridge and Liverpool.
Jeremy Pocklington, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), told MPs yesterday that the department’s strategy was that “rough sleepers should receive their vaccination in line with their position in the priority groups as outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and agreed by the government”.
Speaking at a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, he said that rough sleepers who are “clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable” should “receive their vaccination in the coming weeks”.
St Mungo’s report included a number of other recommendations for government, including ensuring that the close working arrangements developed between MHCLG and health bodies during the coronavirus pandemic are maintained.
Steve Douglas, chief executive at St Mungo’s, said: “Firstly we must thank all of our clients and all those who took part in this vitally important piece of research.
“We know from their stories told in this report, and from our experience as frontline practitioners, that health and homelessness are inextricably linked. Everyone In was so effective because that is what happened.
“We worked together with health and local authority housing colleagues to identify the services and medical support that our clients needed. It was so much more than just providing a safe place to stay.
“Doctors and nurses were in the hotels, medication prescribed was delivered on site. We made it easier to get the help so many clients desperately needed, and the results are undeniable. People’s health improved – some for the first time in years. It undoubtedly saved lives.
“Now we need to make that ‘emergency’ response and the Everyone In principles of joint working become the norm. It is not difficult to do, but will need a different approach – starting by including those who are experiencing homelessness being included in the priority group for accessing coronavirus vaccines.
“We urge all MPs, and everyone working across government, to read this report and to take the learning from it. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to make the changes needed to achieve our shared goal of ending rough sleeping. It must not be wasted.”
Baroness Louise Casey, who led the government’s initial response to homelessness during the pandemic, said: “It has taken the coronavirus crisis for people to see rough sleeping for the public health emergency it is.
“The government has an option here to build on the successes of Everyone In. And it is clear that the dual issues of health and homelessness have to be addressed together, and must be actioned as a matter of urgency.”
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