HHPA evaluation: Secondary analyses of Hospital Episodes Statistics

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Evaluation of Homeless Health Peer Advocacy: an analysis of secondary data

  • IRAS ID

    291149

  • Contact name

    Lucy Platt

  • Contact email

    lucy.platt@lshtm.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 5 months, 30 days

  • Research summary

    The research team has an ongoing mixed-methods research project (IRAS 271312) to evaluate the effect of a peer advocacy intervention called Homeless Health Peer Advocacy (HHPA) on hospital use among people who are homeless in London. Covid-related restrictions in London continue to interrupt both peer advocacy and routine hospital operations. This proposal concerns an alternative means of delivering quantitative findings from the parent study, using historic (i.e. pre-Covid) data sources. The research team is committed to participatory methods. We employ people with experience of homelessness as peer researchers, as well as inviting others as members of the study steering group. The steering group oversees the work of all aspects of the project.

    This sub-study focuses on 2 objectives.
    1. To measure the effect of engagement with HHPA on the frequency of hospital use (i.e. missed outpatient appointments, accident & emergency visits, inpatient admissions) over 12 months.
    2. To measure the change in frequency of hospital use 12 months before and after initial engagement with a peer advocate.

  • REC name

    South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    21/SW/0068

  • Date of REC Opinion

    3 Jun 2021

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion