Increasing the psychological workforce in the homelessness sector: Developing and evaluating clinical psychology placements in non-NHS homelessness practice settings
Start date
March 2022End date
OngoingOverview
People experiencing homelessness typically experience the multiple interacting risk factors for poor physical and mental health, such as stigma, discrimination, poverty, violence, and complex trauma which result from social exclusion. A constellation of barriers to accessing mental health services, coupled with poor experience with healthcare services, can lead to people avoiding healthcare despite having a high level of need. NHS England in collaboration with a wide range of partners have developed an Inclusion Health Framework to encourage system level change to reduce healthcare inequalities. The framework outlines five principles for action toward more inclusive healthcare systems:
1. Commit to action on inclusion health
2. Understand the characteristics and needs of people in inclusion health groups
3. Develop the workforce for inclusion health
4. Deliver integrated and accessible services for inclusion health
5. Demonstrate impact and improvement through action on inclusion health.
This paper focuses primarily on the third principle – developing the workforce for inclusion health. Clinical psychologists are a core part of the NHS workforce providing psychological treatment for mental health difficulties. They are also expected to play a key leadership role by training other professionals in the application of complex psychological models and supporting the development of a broader psychological workforce, influencing organisational policies and procedures, implementing improvements in service and patient care, and influencing professional practice strategically at national guideline and policy levels (British Psychological Society [BPS], 2010; 2024). Recognising the potential for an upstream intervention into workforce development to support inclusion health, NHS England funded a pilot project across four universities in the South-East of England to develop and evaluate placements for clinical psychology trainees within homelessness organisations. We report the first phase evaluation from the implementation of this pilot at the University of Surrey.
Aims and objectives
- To increase the number of clinical psychologists contributing to the delivery of psychological interventions to those who are experiencing precarious housing and homelessness. To achieve this, we will be developing new partnerships with the voluntary sector to support the placement opportunities for trainee clinical psychologists.
- To learn how to support the delivery of the placements.
- To develop an understanding how the integration of the Trainee Clinical Psychologists informs practice within the Services.
- To increase the number of trainee Clinical Psychologist securing a post working with Sector to offer psychological services.
Funding amount
£119,500
Funder
NHS England (NHSE, formally Health Education England)
Presentations
- GTiCP conference presentation (PDF)
- PPN South East Presentation (PDF)
- Centre for Homelessness Research and Practice (CHRP) Annual Conference 2025 Poster Presentation (PDF)
Further information
Information about the larger project and developments in partner organisations can be found here:
Working with Homelessness and Multiple Disadvantage Through Community Psychology Placements
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-investigators
Mary John
Head of Department of Clinical and Health Psychology
Biography
Mary trained initially at the University of Liverpool (BSc) and then went on to undertake clinical training at North London Polytechnic now known as University of East London. On qualification she worked within children and young people's services initially in Kingston and then moved to Northampton to develop the service. Two years later she returned to London to work at St Georges Hospital within the behavioural medicine service for young people where she became a Consultant Clinical Psychologist.
Following a number of years of working with young people presenting with a variety of acute and chronic physical health problems as well as life limiting conditions she moved into clinical service development and management initially leading a Child Psychology Service in Kent and then taking on a number of roles within the Sussex area finally becoming Head of Psychology and Psychological services for West Sussex. Throughout this time she also contributed to the training of a wide variety of Health and social practitioners alongside a major contribution to the training of clinical Psychologists.
In 2004 she joined the University to become the Programme Director of the Clinical Psychology training course. Since that time she has worked with colleagues to develop supervision and consultation training, Cognitive Behavioural therapy practitioner training, Interpersonal psychotherapy training resulting in the development of a Surrey Sussex IPT Centre. In 2012-15 she became Deputy Head of School and Director of Teaching and Learning.
Dr Hannah Frith
Associate Professor in Psychology
Biography
I am a critical social psychologist and chartered psychologist, who draws on interdisciplinary theory and research to examine the intersections of sexuality, gender and embodiment using creative qualitative research methods.
Dr Warren Matofsky
Senior Teaching Fellow, Clinical & Community Psychologist, Group Psychotherapist
See profileResearch Assistants
Laura Soleilhac
Research Assistant in Enabling and Evaluating Homelessness Placements
Leah Sharkah
Research Assistant
Robyn Quigley
Research Assistant (NHSE Homeless Workforce Project)
Biography
Working as a Research Assistant within the School of Psychology's Clinical Psychology Trainee (DClinPsy) Programme, focused on developing and evaluating clinical psychology trainee placements within homelessness services. Has an MSc in Psychology and has previously worked in Civil Service policy and frontline homelessness roles.
Research groups and centres
Our research is supported by research groups and centres of excellence.