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Hospital Outreach Service

Supporting hospital patients who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness, working with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, local authorities and third-sector organisations to help them access housing, welfare and practical support.

Why this service matters

Stable housing and good health are closely connected. Without the right support, patients can face poorer health outcomes, delayed discharge and repeated hospital admissions.

How we help

Housing advice and advocacy

Providing housing-rights advice, advocacy and support to access suitable housing.

Benefits support

Providing benefit assessments and helping patients maximise the financial support available to them.

Crisis support

Providing clothing, toiletries, food vouchers and other essential items to patients who need immediate assistance.

Financial and grant assistance

Supporting applications for emergency funding, grants and essential household items.

Onward referrals

Connecting patients with The Marie Trust's Education and Counselling services, legal support and community organisations.

Coordinated support

Working alongside hospital teams, social work, local authorities and other organisations to help prevent and resolve homelessness.

Where we work

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Showing: all hospital locations

The service currently receives referrals across:

Who can make a referral?

Referrals are accepted from hospital clinical staff and social-work teams supporting patients who are experiencing homelessness or may be at risk of homelessness.

How the service has grown

The Marie Trust began supporting patients experiencing homelessness at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 2023. The need for dedicated Hospital Outreach quickly became clear, leading to a formal partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and expansion into additional hospital sites.

Three members of the Hospital Outreach partnership standing in front of an Ask & Act presentation screen

Ask & Act

Established in 2025 with funding from the Scottish Government, Ask & Act is a pilot delivered in partnership with Govan Law Centre. The project expands support into mental-health hospital settings and provides training to clinical staff ahead of new legal duties requiring services to ask about and act on homelessness risk.

Our impact

Since the service launched in 2023:

Patients supported
0Patients supported
Referrals to welfare, food, crisis and other support
0Referrals to welfare, food, crisis and other support
Financial support secured for patients
£0+Financial support secured for patients
A total shambles — if I didn't have you and my worker, I'd already be out there sleeping rough, I'd be lying out there.
Patient referral, on navigating benefit and housing systems

Make a referral

Hospital staff or social-work teams can contact the Hospital Outreach Service to discuss a referral.

David Brannan, Hospital Outreach Project Lead

Funded by The William Grant Foundation and the Scottish Government, our Hospital Outreach Service works alongside NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Ways to donate

Donations help fund practical support after discharge — mobile phones and data, food, fuel vouchers and essential items that help patients stay connected and safe.

Related services

Education Service

Helping people build confidence, wellbeing and opportunities through accessible learning.

Counselling & Psychotherapy Service

Free, confidential and trauma-informed therapeutic support for people experiencing or recovering from homelessness.

Working in partnership with

  • The William Grant Foundation
  • The Scottish Government
  • NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
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