As the NHS grapples with unprecedented seasonal demand and reducing bed blocking remains a top priority, a groundbreaking new facility has opened in Cornwall to support people with nowhere else to go.

Cadmus is a newly converted property from Harbour Housing.

Based at St Blazey, it is designed to provide accommodation for people who might otherwise be discharged into emergency accommodation such as hotels or, in the worst-case scenario, finding themselves on the streets. This can now be avoided with a secure place to stay.

Harbour wanted to create a place where clients can feel comfortable and supported during a vulnerable time in their lives, after leaving hospital.

Consideration has gone into every aspect, from fixtures and fittings to the soft furnishings, with accessibility and inclusion at the heart of the project.

Malcolm Putko, group operations director, recently hosted chair of Cornwall Council and St Blazey councillor Pauline Giles, along with Helen Tomm’s from Cornwall Council Safer Partnerships Team, to look around the new facility.

Harbour Housing group operations director Malcolm Putko, head of estates Giles Asker, Cornwall Council chair Pauline Giles and community safety officer Helen Tomms inside one of the specialist disabled rooms (Image: Harbour Housing) They met one of Cadmus’s first residents, who had only moved in the day before.

The resident told them: “I was really scared about where I was going to live, once I was discharged. I had been in the hospital for a long period of time, due to a decline in my mental health.

“The anxiety of not having a home, slowed down my recovery and I feared that I would be in hospital for Christmas, so I wouldn’t see my kids.”

During her visit, Councillor Giles was briefed about the project and how it offers clients wrap-around support from Cornwall Council, the NHS, Cornwall Foundation Trust and Adult Social Care, as well as a dedicated team of carers from Harbour's newly formed care company, Harbour Care.

Mr Putko told her: “Since we began this type of provision, just after the pandemic, we started with one small property - we have now grown to six projects across Cornwall with the help of funding from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, Cornwall Council, and Harbour Housing Trustees.”

Cadmus is a new facility in Cornwall designed to prevent bed blocking (Image: Harbour Housing) Cllr Giles was full of praise, telling the team: “Every time Harbour get involved in something, you go above and beyond to make sure that the residents coming in have their needs met. It’s fabulous. Why wouldn’t you want to live here?”

Harbour’s Hospital Discharge Project was commissioned to alleviate bed blockages within the NHS, across Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust (RCHT) and Cornwall Foundation Trust (CFT), which often occur due to limited suitable accommodation and delays in arranging social care support and facilities.

It has been shown that staying in the hospital for longer than necessary has a negative impact on patient’s outcome.

One of the newly converted rooms for hospital discharge clients (Image: Harbour Housing) People now have the chance to recuperate in comfortable surroundings, with NHS England’s ‘Principle 5’ approach promoting a ‘home first’ approach, as statistics show patients do better when they are discharged from the hospital if they have a support network to help them.

Some of the benefits of recovering at home after a hospital stay include:

  • Improved quality of life: Recovering in a home environment allows people to have more control over their daily routines and choices.
  • Better sleep: People are more likely to get a good night’s sleep at home in a quiet environment.
  • More relaxed: People are less likely to be anxious or stressed.
  • Fewer interruptions: People are not subject to the unfamiliar routines and noise of hospitals.
  • Reduced risk of infection: Being at home reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections.

Harbour Housing has three more properties earmarked for this type of project next year in west and southeast Cornwall, with one project it hopes may be featured by the BBC programme Homes under the Hammer.

Harbour Housing is a registered charity, whose mission it is to provide safe homes and life support to individuals who would otherwise face life on the street.

It does not discriminate based on behaviours or issues the person faces, such as addictions or mental ill health, but at all its properties provide a safe environment a ‘person-centred’ support to help the individual transition towards independent living.