HomeSafe provides short-term, practical support for people who are leaving hospital, have recently been discharged, or are at risk of hospital admission or readmission.
The service aims to address immediate needs and risks that may affect a person’s ability to remain safe and well at home, helping to prevent avoidable hospital admissions and readmissions and connecting people with longer-term support where this is needed.
The service is free and delivered through a partnership of local charities: Southend Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS), South Essex Advocacy Services (SEAS) and Citizens Advice Southend (CAS).
Who we can support
HomeSafe can support adults who:
- Are being discharged from hospital and need short-term practical support to settle safely back at home;
- Have been discharged from hospital within the previous 7 days and an immediate need or risk has been identified;
- Are living at home and are at risk of hospital admission or readmission because their current circumstances are affecting their ability to remain safe and well at home; or
- Are living in unsafe or unsuitable accommodation where housing conditions are creating an immediate risk to their health, safety or wellbeing, for example significant problems with heating, damp, essential utilities or other hazards within the home.
How HomeSafe can help
Support focuses on immediate needs and risks and can include:
- Home visits to identify and help address immediate safety concerns within the home;
- Health and care support, including checking that appropriate care, equipment or support is in place and liaising with health and social care professionals where needed;
- Urgent practical help, such as food shopping, medication collection or fuel/electricity top-ups, where the person has no family or friends able to assist;
- Advocacy and support to communicate with professionals and services;
- Benefits and financial support, including help with benefit applications and accessing appropriate financial advice;
- Housing support, including advice, help with housing applications and liaison with landlords or the council around immediate housing concerns;
- Specialist advice around debt, council tax, housing and complex benefits; and
- Community connection, including linking people with community groups, befriending services and other appropriate longer-term support.
What HomeSafe does not provide
- Cleaning or routine housework;
- Personal care or ongoing daily care;
- Transport; or
- Long-term support that would ordinarily need to be provided through a care package, Personal Assistant (PA) service or specialist service.
HomeSafe is not an emergency service, although we aim to respond quickly where an urgent need or risk has been identified.
Where a person requires specialist or longer-term support, HomeSafe will help connect or refer them to the appropriate statutory, health, housing or community service.
How long can we support someone?
HomeSafe is a short-term service. Support is normally provided for up to two weeks to address immediate practical needs and risks.
In exceptional cases involving significant risks, such as unsafe housing, safeguarding concerns or serious health concerns, support may be extended for up to one month, with project lead approval.
Where ongoing support is required, we will aim to ensure that the person is connected or referred to appropriate longer-term services before HomeSafe support ends.
Referral process
Referrals can be made by:
- Hospital discharge teams;
- GPs, social workers and community health professionals;
- Carers, family members and voluntary/community organisations;
- Selected HomeSafe partner organisations; or
- Individuals themselves where they have been discharged from hospital within the previous 7 days.
Referrals should identify the immediate need or risk and how short-term HomeSafe support could help the person to remain safe and well at home.
