Mildmay Joins Parliamentary Roundtable on Health and Homelessness

Geoff Coleman, Mildmay's CEO, speaks at the roundtable meeting at Portcullis House

This week at Westminster, Mildmay’s Chief Executive, Geoff Coleman, joined MPs, commissioners, clinicians, and people with lived experience at a roundtable chaired by Danny Beales MP to focus on the NHS’s role in tackling homelessness.

The event, convened by Pathway as the Government develops its new Cross-Government Homelessness Strategy, brought together frontline expertise and decision-makers to agree practical changes the NHS can implement now.

Speakers included:

• Dr Danielle Williams, Specialist Homelessness GP, St George’s Trust Homeless Inclusion Team (part of the Pathway Partnership Programme)

• Matthew, who shared his own lived experience of homelessness and the life-changing support he received from Dr Williams’ team

• Cindy Fischer, Commissioner and Senior Manager for NHS North East London

• Beverly Gachette, Strategic Commissioner for the London Borough of Hackney

• Theo Jackson, Research and Data Lead, Pathway

Three key interventions emerged to end unsafe discharge to the street:

1. Scale up specialist teams in hospitals to support patients experiencing homelessness.

2. Invest in specialist intermediate care so people can recover safely after discharge, with clear pathways into stable housing.

3. Record housing status in NHS data to drive better planning, accountability, and outcomes.

These proposals align with the NHS’s shift toward prevention and community-based care. For this approach to deliver real change, the forthcoming Cross-Government Homelessness Strategy must embed the health interventions discussed at the roundtable.

“The NHS has a vital role to play in addressing the severe health inequalities faced by people experiencing homelessness. The interventions discussed today are practical, evidence-based, and urgently needed. Mildmay is proud to be part of this movement to ensure no one is ever discharged from hospital to the street.”

Geoff Coleman, Chief Executive, Mildmay

Why this matters at Mildmay:

Every day, Mildmay supports people who might otherwise fall through the cracks — those living with HIV, recovering from addiction, or experiencing homelessness and mental health challenges. Specialist intermediate care works: it prevents rough sleeping, reduces hospital readmissions, and helps people regain stability and dignity.

What’s next:

We will share these recommendations with our NHS and local authority partners and continue to advocate for joined-up pathways from hospital to safe recovery and housing.

Further reading:

• Pathway’s write-up of the roundtable [Read the summary on Pathway’s website].

• Learn about Mildmay’s specialist intermediate care for people experiencing homelessness [Explore our service].

Support Mildmay’s work

Mildmay is one of the few places in the UK providing specialist care for people experiencing homelessness, HIV, and complex health needs. Your support helps us offer safe recovery, dignity, and hope to people with nowhere else to turn.

👉 Donate today to help us keep our doors open.