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Home » Research » Programmes » Healthy Settings and Organisations » PHaCT Trial: Preventing Homelessness, improving health for prison leavers: A pilot randomised controlled trial of a Critical Time Intervention

PHaCT Trial: Preventing Homelessness, improving health for prison leavers: A pilot randomised controlled trial of a Critical Time Intervention

Lead Investigator

 Jim Lewsey


Co Investigators

James White, Yvonne Moriarty, Rebecca Cannings-John, Peter Mackie, Ian Thomas (Cardiff), Vittal Katikireddi, Manuela Deidda (Glasgow), Suzanne Fitzpatrick (Heriot Watt), Hannah Green (Lived Experience Specialist), Iolo Madoc-Jones (Glyndwr)


Background

For people leaving prison, re-integrating into the community can be a difficult process. Substance abuse, poor mental health, personal and situational factors such as low levels of literacy and absence of a stable support network, reinforced by a lack of affordable housing and employment opportunities, make them particularly at risk of homelessness. The absence of stable accommodation has a devastating impact on health – people experiencing homelessness are more exposed than the general population to infectious and noncommunicable diseases, mental health problems (including alcohol and substance misuse), have higher rates of emergency hospital admissions and report lower levels of wellbeing and health-related quality of life.


Aims and Objectives

To conduct a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) in four male prisons to determine whether a future full-scale RCT assessing effectiveness and cost -effectiveness of a housing-led Critical Time Intervention (CTI) is warranted.


Study Design

  1. To set up the project.
  2. Deliver trial delivery training and recruit participants.
  3. Conduct a pilot RCT in four prisons (collect baseline data; randomise participants; follow-up data collection).
  4. Conduct trial analysis (process evaluation; statistical analysis of outcomes; scoping and testing data linkages; economic evaluation).
  5. Write-up and disseminate findings.

Further information and publications

NIHR study page

Start date

01/03/2022

End date

29/02/2024

Funders

NIHR/PHR

Amount

£868,705.00