Nicola Glassbrook

Senior Public Health Officer (Health Inequalities),

Devon Council

Nicola worked in the homelessness field for nearly 20 years in a number of roles: managing a direct access hostel, working as a Rough Sleeper coordinator for Exeter City Council and developing and overseeing Outreach services.

She started working for the NHS in 2002 when Exeter PCT agreed to host a multi-agency outreach service for the city. This enabled Nicola to better link health and homelessness: forging better multi agency working; introducing ‘Housing First’ accommodation projects and piloting personal budgets for entrenched rough sleepers.

Nicola is now based in Public Health Commissioning specialising in reducing health inequalities for vulnerable groups. She has written a Homelessness Health Needs Assessment, which involved carrying out a health audit, has contributed to Devon and Torbay’s Dual Diagnosis Strategy and has led a review of access to detoxification and residential rehabilitation treatment for the Devon Drug and Alcohol Team.

Nicola is currently part of a multi-agency group that is leading on a whole system change including MEAM, The Hub and Integrated Care Exeter.

‘To bring about real change, everyone needs to contribute, to have their voices heard – from the service users to the commissioners’