NICOLA Sturgeon has welcomed an additional £300,000 investment to allow vulnerable Scots to access welfare and money advice from their GP practices.
More than £3 million has already been invested into the Welfare Advice and Health Partnerships (WAHP) programme by the Scottish Government since September 2021.
It aims to help those living in the most deprived communities whose mental health may be impacted by ongoing money worries.
Speaking on a visit to the Forge Medical Practice in Glasgow’s Parkhead, which has offered the service since 2021, the First Minister said: “This project and this approach is already having a very positive impact.
“It’s helping people to access benefits that they weren’t accessing, increasing and maximising people’s income, helping people navigate debt problems.
“So, with the cost of living crisis as it is, this is crucial support for individuals and often helps to address the root causes of mental health problems that will see people coming to a GP.”
Almost 150 GPs have already offered the service which sees patients referred to an in-house welfare rights officer for advice on increasing income, social security eligibility, debt resolution, housing and employment issues.
From the autumn, GP surgeries in 20 rural and 10 island communities will benefit from the additional funding to extend the service to patients who need it.
Sturgeon continued: “Being able to make a service like this available in island communities and rural parts of the country where these problems exist but are often more dispersed will be a key part of helping individuals with what is a really difficult time for many financially.”
The First Minister also said the service will help to ease the workload on healthcare professionals within GP surgeries.
New participating surgeries will be identified from areas where the impact of the cost of living crisis is disproportionately high and people are likelier to be more heavily impacted by the crisis.
Money and welfare advice officer at the Parkhead surgery Robert Hannah said: “I’ve seen engagement with people who probably would never have engaged with the service before, people who maybe fell through the cracks or had maybe been too embarrassed to ask for help or didn’t know where to go.”
Helping the patients to tackle their money and debt woes often improves their mental health as well, he added.
An evaluation of the original scheme, which covered nine GP surgeries in Glasgow, showed the average financial gain to individuals accessing WAHPs was more than £19 for every £1 invested in the scheme, and over £25 for every £1 invested when debt negotiation and management was included over a period of 12 months.
