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GP surgeries in south London are giving financial advice to help patients manage debt and handle benefits claims – and the results are striking.
In the 34 practices running the Back on Track scheme in Lambeth and Southwark, one in three patients visited their GP less often after receiving advice, and more than 1,100 people have secured benefits, cleared debts or seen reduced stress levels.
One of the people who have benefited from the project is 62-year-old Ife, from Stockwell.
She has chronic pain from arthritis and had fallen into energy debt after being forced to give up her job due to mobility issues, while awaiting knee replacement surgery.
Her Universal Credit (UC) claim was turned down, despite her limited ability to stand up…