Homelessness and substance misuse: impact on secondary healthcare in Wales (summary)
Using administrative linked data, this study found that substance misuse and homelessness together increase health inequalities.
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The aim of this research
The aim of this research was to investigate, amongst people engaged with substance misuse treatment services, the relationship between co-occurring experience of homelessness, substance misuse treatment, and their effects on:
- the frequency of emergency department attendances
- the reasons for emergency hospital admissions
- the frequency of hospital admissions
- the length of hospital admissions
The analysis used linked anonymised administrative data for substance misuse treatment, emergency department attendances and hospital admissions in Wales between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2019.
Main findings
We found that co-occurring homelessness and substance misuse was associated with increased usage of secondary healthcare when compared with substance misuse treatment alone. This includes an increase in the number of emergency department attendances, an increase in the number of hospital admissions, an increase in the likelihood of an emergency hospital admission and an increase in the duration of hospital admissions. Consideration is given to the implications and resultant recommendations for health and social care services.
About the report
This report is a joint publication between Public Health Wales, Administrative Data Research Wales, the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank and Welsh Government as part of the Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) (Ministry of Justice) programme. BOLD is a HM Treasury funded, cross-governmental programme (2021 to 2025) designed to demonstrate how people with complex needs can be better supported by linking and improving the government data held on them in a safe and secure way.
Contact details
Report authors: Delyth James, Jo Maimaris, Silvia Colonna, Ian Farr, Hywel T Evans, Josh Dixon, Matthew Skermer, Sam Fallick, Gareth Davies, Columbus Ohaeri, Josie Smith
Views expressed in this report are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Welsh Government.
For further information please contact:
Delyth James
Statistical Services Division
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Email: ADRWales@gov.wales
Social research number: 18/2025
Digital ISBN: 978-1-83715-354-1
