North Tyneside Citizens Advice announces new Mental Health pilot in partnership with NTW Foundation Trust
North Tyneside Citizens Advice have begun a new pilot with NTW Foundation Trust to provide timely debt management and benefit advice for people with mental health problems, starting from 1st November 2018.
People with mental health issues often find it more difficult to manage their financial affairs as a result – previous research by Citizens Advice has found that 60% of people with mental health problems feel anxious about opening post, and 72% find it more difficult than usual to manage or complete paperwork.
This can lead to debt, money and housing problems that in turn have a further negative impact on the person’s ability to manage their mental health or complete treatment.
It also leads to additional demands being placed on existing mental health services – a 2017 survey from Citizens Advice found that mental health practitioners were spending more time helping their patients with non-health related issues, such as debt or housing, compared to the year before.
The purpose of our new Mental Health pilot is therefore to:
- Improve access to early intervention advice by those using mental health services, particularly debt, benefit, housing and employment advice.
- Resolve the practical aspects of client’s problems to enable them to engage more effectively with mental health practitioners.
- Help reduce anxiety and stress and reduce the likelihood of emergency or crisis situations
Mark Almond, Director of North Tyneside Citizens Advice, said: “By working together, we hope to make both organisations more effective in the services they provide, to the benefit of our mutual patients and clients.”
