University of Westminster hosts event with Administrative Justice Council on the co-location of social welfare advice in hospital settings

The hybrid event was held at the British Academy in London and attracted many participants from the NHS, academia and the third sector, and was made possible with support from the University of Westminster Participatory Research Fund.

The panel was comprised of Nick Wright, Manager of Citizens Advice at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Michael Bell, Chair of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, Sarah Beardon, Senior Research and Policy Fellow at University College London, and Daniel Flury, Director of Access to Justice in the Ministry of Justice.

Professor Creutzfeldt began by setting the context for the discussion by referring to a 2021 AJC report titled ‘Access to social welfare advice in a hospital setting: integration of services’, which looked at the benefits of integrated welfare advice in specialist hospital settings. The report also sets itself apart from other research in the UK in that it focuses on health-justice partnerships in secondary and acute healthcare settings - as opposed to GP surgeries - which treat patients with a wide range of conditions.

The panel presentations were followed by a lively discussion which touched on examples of welfare advice in hospital settings; tackling health-inequalities, which have become more apparent since the pandemic; how to build networks while people are still in hospital settings to ensure that when they leave they will be able to maintain long-term wellbeing; and place-based care, involving the third sector, NHS, and patient groups in order to get the best possible outcomes for patients.

Speaking about the event, Professor Creutzfeldt said: “I am very pleased with the panel discussion and am hopeful that there will be funds invested in building these health-justice partnerships as to enhance access to justice, access to advice and to educate the public about what their rights are. This will have a long-term effect on improving wellbeing and reducing readmissions. I hope that these partnerships will be set up across the country.”

Watch the full discussion on the Administrative Justice Council YouTube channel.