Homeless Health conference from Arch and the Frontline Network
We will be hosting the Homeless Health Conference 2025, with the Brighton and Hove Frontline Network, on Wednesday 22nd October at the University of Sussex’s Conference Centre, Bramber House in Falmer.
This one-day, free event, hosted by Arch Healthcare & The Frontline Network, is designed to inspire, connect and equip people who work in homelessness services with lots of practical information about the health needs of people experiencing homelessness. It has the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes in this vulnerable community.
The conference has been developed in consultation with the Brighton and Hove Common Ambition Steering Group of people with lived experience of homelessness. The group has kindly provided the participant wellbeing guide, which we have provided for previous conferences in the last couple of years as we look to improve accessibility, inclusivity and participant safety.
Scroll down to find the titles for the talks which will be taking place on the day. Short outlines and content warnings are available where we have been provided these by the speakers. If you have any questions about the conference or the content planned for the day, please do not hesitate to contact us.
As ever, the focus will be on homelessness and health related issues for people experiencing homelessness in Brighton & Hove so the sessions will refer to local services.
The event is now sold out but we are operating a waiting list here.
Click on the title of a session to see the talk outline
Autism + Environment = Outcome: A balancing act between support and shortfall
The aim of this talk is to equip delegates with practical strategies for supporting homeless autistic / ADHD clients in resource limited environments.
Content Warning: Descriptions of Autism and/or ADHD may be relatable on a personal level for some delegates.
Speakers: Hannah Gibson – Buddy and Peer Support and Jo Hobbs – Autistic Occupational Therapist, Brighton & Hove Recovery College.
Beyond the Ward: How CGL Supports Recovery in Hospitals
This session will provide an overview of the CGL hospital service and how we support clients to access treatment and sustain recovery on discharge.
Content warning: Some discussion around mental health will be covered.
Speakers: Anna Humphrey – Hospital Liaison Service, Dr Matt O’Brien – Consultant Psychiatrist, Emma Sparace – Hospital Liaison Service, CGL.
Musculoskeletal Pain: what to do when the medicines aren't helping
We are increasingly aware of the limitations and dangers of painkillers. The aim of this session is to give delegates a better understanding of chronic joint pain and how to support clients to manage this from the perspective of an Advanced Practice Physiotherapist with experience in homeless healthcare.
Speaker: Oliver Lucas – Physiotherapist, Sussex MSK Partnership.
Health Care for Refugees and Asylum Seekers Experiencing Homelessness: A Frontline Perspective
ABC will deliver a tailored one-hour session designed specifically for frontline workers, aimed at enhancing their capacity to support asylum seekers and refugees experiencing homelessness.
The session will focus on building confidence in navigating the challenges faced by this population. It will also explore the distinct health needs of asylum seekers and refugees, highlighting key considerations such as cultural differences, language barriers, and the importance of managing expectations. Additionally, the session will address common knowledge gaps, including a basic overview of the immigration system and its implications for accessing healthcare and support services.
Content warning: some of the case studies about refugees and asylum seekers may be triggering for some attendees – the presenters will make this explicit before covering any content both in the presentation and verbally before discussions.
Speakers: Lena Abdu – Associate Director of Transformation and Eva Bangova – Equity Development Manager, Alliance for Better Care CIC.
Heart Health and Homelessness: Breaking down barriers, busting myths
Fact or fiction? 1. The homeless population are three times more likely to suffer with cardiovascular disease? 2. Blood Pressure and smoking are the least of the issues for a person experiencing homelessness? This session aims to build attendees’ understanding of what cardiovascular disease is and why it’s so important to understand and manage this condition for those experiencing homelessness. Find out what we can do to try and address the staggeringly poor heart health of this patient population.
Speaker: Dr. Tal Lewin – GP, Arch Healthcare.
A Human Approach to Drugs and Alcohol Support
This session will enable people to critically reflect on how the system supports people who have experienced substance use, and offer ideas for improving practice and services. It will also provide an insight into how people experience the system and services and what they are doing to make improvements.
Content warning: The session will be run using Common Ambition’s trauma-informed approach. There may be some difficult discussions around system and service challenges related to substance use and mental health, but every discussion and activity is optional.
Speakers: Common Ambition Drug and Alcohol Lived Experience Programme
Mental Health Medications: What, why, when and how
This session will give delegates an improved understanding of the different mental health medications on offer. This will include which medicines are used for which conditions, how they work, whether they work, and the decision making process that doctors undertake when prescribing or stop prescribing. This will include benefits and problems associated with these medicines.
Content warning: This talk will provide detail on mental health conditions, and possible causes for these. It will also talk about potential pitfalls of medications, including side effects, suicidal thoughts, and lack of response to treatment.
Speaker: Dr Tim Worthley – GP, Arch Healthcare
Nutrition and people experiencing homelessness
This talk aims to boost participants’ understanding of how to address dietary health inequalities commonplace amongst people experiencing homelessness. It will provide a background to the problem of poor dietary quality, highlight findings from research exploring diet and nutrition for this population group, and provide practical solutions to support people experiencing homelessness to access an improved diet.
Content warning: Discussion about food insecurity can feel insensitive and may be triggering for experts by experience.
Speaker: Hannah Style – Founder and Research Dietitian, FEAST With Us
Recognising and Responding: First aid to frailty
This session will look at responding to medical emergencies and providing first aid. It will also cover recognising when someone is deteriorating gradually and becoming frail, and how you can help.
Speakers: Hannah Bishop – Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Arch Healthcare; Caterina Speight – Clinical Services Manager, SCFT Homeless Team; and Karen Leenders – Hostel Manager, New Steine Mews Hostel.
Supporting people with chronic alcohol dependence - updates and top tips about liver care and acquired brain injury
The aim of this workshop is to share learning on supporting people with chronic alcohol dependence who are experiencing homelessness. It will include interactive case studies and small group discussions, facilitated by a liver outreach nurse specialist and inclusion health GP. The focus will be on practical tips for front line support workers, and updates on the care of liver problems and alcohol related brain injury.
Content warning: This talk will be about alcohol dependence, addiction, and the health complications. This includes liver disease, brain injury and safeguarding challenges. Case studies, while fictional, may resonate with upsetting professional or personal experiences.
Speakers: Jason Howell – Liver Clinical Nurse Specialist, University Hospitals Sussex and Kate Pitt, GP – Arch Healthcare / Lecturer, Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
Understanding and Tackling Hoarding
This talk explores all aspects of hoarding (and extreme clutter). It will increase delegates’ understanding of it as a mental illness or because of another mental illness, the reasons why someone hoards and the best ways to support them, including positive language and rapport building.
Content warning: The whole topic of understanding and tackling hoarding is trauma informed. There may be some examples where a client has opened up to us on abuse; physical, sexual, emotional, or maybe loss, that has contributed to their hoarding.
Speaker: Jack Moore – Respect My Stuff Ltd
What's Good Enough? Making sense of Feelings when Working with People and Systems who can Cause Despair
We will be exploring how service users can cause distress in staff teams. We will think about the hopelessness and despair that gets put into us and how much of that relates not only to the patient themselves but as a result of the wider and global systems within which we are working. We will discuss the ingredients needed to look after ourselves and work effectively but realistically with this patient group.
Content warning: This talk will provide details about mental health conditions and feelings of despair and hopelessness. We will discuss possible causes for these, including discussion of trauma.
Speakers: Dr Jessica Buckle, Deirdre Fuller and Dr Justin Kerr – CERN Psychotherapy team
