London’s first homeless detox centre set to close: ‘We’re pushing problems back onto the streets now’

Health secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to look into the fate of London’s first detox centre for people experiencing homelessness as it prepares to close its doors.

The Addiction Clinical Care Suite based at St Thomas’ Hospital in Lambeth opened to much fanfare in 2021, with then-homelessness minister Eddie Hughes pledging it would offer “transformative care” to “London’s most vulnerable people” experiencing drug and alcohol addiction.

But the centre is set to close as early as next week despite record levels of homelessness across London and the rest of England. The Museum of Homelessness’ Dying Homeless Project recorded 1,600 homeless deaths in the UK at last count.

The Department for Health and Social Care told Big Issue that the service, which was commissioned by the City of London Corporation and delivered by St Thomas’ Hospital, faced a £1 million shortfall and that there were “times when beds were underused”.

News of the closure was first reported on LBC where presenter Nick Ferrari confronted Streeting on the radio station on Wednesday (25 March).

“You brought this to my attention this morning. I am going to go away and look at this,” said Streeting.

“I look at homeless people on our streets, people with drug and alcohol addiction, and it’s no exaggeration to say there but for the grace of God – I’ve seen drug and alcohol addiction in my own family, particularly one of my grandparents, my grandad who was in and out of prison throughout my childhood and my mum’s childhood. He suffered terrible abuse as a child and a terrible relationship with alcohol.

“We can’t write these people off. Quite the opposite. We judge a society by how it treats its most vulnerable. I’m going to go away and understand what’s happened here. It’s my responsibility as health secretary to make sure we’re providing the right care in the right place at the right time.”

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The government-funded service was created five years ago through the now-defunct Public Health England alongside the Greater London Authority, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and London’s borough councils.

It was funded through a combination of grants from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and local authority treatment budgets.

Addiction Clinical Care Suite supported rough sleepers to safely withdraw from alcohol and drugs as well as providing peer support groups and treatment to quit smoking, boost healthy eating and mental wellbeing and receive vaccinations.

Patients were also able to access a holistic support programme with access to psychiatrists and psychologists. This helped patients begin a recovery from life on the streets and harmful substance use.

The closure comes just months after Labour laid out its National Plan to End Homelessness in December last year, pledging to halve the number of rough sleepers on England’s streets by 2029.

The strategy also included plans to legislate so public bodies could collaborate to prevent homelessness and set clear targets on stopping people from becoming homeless when leaving prisons, social care and hospitals for the first time.

Big Issue founder Lord John Bird said the closure of the dedicated centre risks pushing people in need of support back on to the streets.

“These people will, they’ll end up in prisons they’ll end up in, they’ll end up back in the streets, they’ll end up being more chaotic, they’ll end up filling up the A&E,” said Lord Bird. 

“What they’re really doing is passing the responsibility back to police officers, social workers, members of the public. So really what we’re doing is we’re pushing the problems back onto the streets now.”

A government spokesperson told Big Issue ministers are investing £3.4 billion over the next three years in drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery services.

They added that local authorities are responsible for commissioning these services according to local need and that they are are working to secure sustainable long-term inpatient detox provision in London.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and City of London Corporation declined to comment.

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