Oxford homelessness: Report into deaths of nine people released

The deaths of nine people who died homeless between December 2018 and July 2019 were reviewed

A report into the deaths of nine homeless people in Oxfordshire has made multiple recommendations.

The Oxfordshire Safeguarding Adults Board (OSAB) looked into the deaths of the six men and three women who died between December 2018 and July 2019.

Dr Sue Ross, independent chair of the OSAB, said the review had "highlighted a number of areas of learning for organisations in Oxfordshire".

Oxford City Council said the people died in "tragic circumstances".

Those that died were either homeless or in supported accommodation at the time.

According to the report failings included a lack of understanding of the needs of people who self-neglect, or fail to attend appointments.

It said there were "very few" mental capacity assessments, and there was poor collaboration between services.

In some cases, "the least qualified and experienced workers were being left to deal with the hardest and most complex individuals".

'Homelessness kills'

The 15 recommendations included producing "guidance and tools for assessing risk in respect of adults who self-neglect".

It said they should also benefit from "an integrated approach to meeting their care and support, mental health, physical health, substance misuse and accommodation needs".

Dr Ross said: "The board is committed to working alongside partners in order to ensure that the recommendations are implemented and understood by professionals, improving how we interact and better serve those who are at risk of becoming homeless in Oxfordshire."

A "homeless mortality review process" is being set up to ensure that deaths are reviewed by a multi-agency group of specialists in future.

Mike Rowley, cabinet member for affordable housing and housing the homeless, said: "While each death is a tragedy, the brutal truth is that homelessness kills."

"We will do everything we can to implement the recommendations of the review and reduce the risk of further deaths among homeless people."

Last year the city council asked the OSAB to look into whether the deaths of five people could have been prevented.

But as the individuals were mostly in supported accommodation, died of natural causes, or had pre-existing health conditions, the scope of the review was altered to look at what could have been done better.