GPs urged to prescribe debt help

The UK government is being urged to help fight post-Covid inequalities and promote wellbeing by helping GPs prescribe debt advice and job support for patients struggling with their finances.

The UK’s leading think-tank, The Social Market Foundation (SMF), says financial prescribing, which enables the NHS to refer patients to non-clinical agencies like debt charities and jobs boards, could be a lifeline for those who have lost income during the pandemic and ease the workload of overstretched doctors.

Patients can already be referred to organisations that can help them get fit, connect with others, or find mood-boosting hobbies. NHS England aims to refer 900,000 people this way by 2023, with 1,000 “link workers” already in place.

However, financial prescribing is rare with one survey claiming that as little as 2 per cent of people discuss their money issues with their doctor.

The SMF was commissioned to investigate the UK’s widening financial gap, of which the research can support the creation of innovative financial tools in the wake of Covid.

Scott Corfe, research director at SMF, said: “The state now must turn its attention to supporting a recovery which prioritises employment and financial support for those hardest hit by the pandemic.

“The evidence is clear: rapid and personalised support is the best way to help people back into work and bolster financial resilience.”