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The G.P Surgery Outreach Project
CAB
Advice services in a primary care setting
Citizens
Advice Bureaux provide outreach services in health centres, GP
Surgeries and hospitals at over a thousand locations across England
and Wales.
There is
mounting evidence to suggest a link between
poverty & ill-health*. Many
patients will, in addition to their presenting
medical
problem, have related social and welfare issues. All of these
problems can have a direct impact on their health.
For
a list of participating surgeries and health centres in Hull,
click here
Benefits
of our service for the patient
Vulnerable
and socially excluded groups can access our service
in a familiar
setting, for example people with mental health or
mobility
problems, carers and the elderly. Many of these people would have
difficulty in using CAB services at other locations due to
transport costs and waiting times.
- Levels of
stress can be significantly reduced, with positive effects both on
mental health and on general well-being.
This in turn
has been shown to reduce the number of GP consultations
needed.
- In
addition to providing one hour appointments, we have the capacity
to carry out a limited amount of follow-up work, writing letters or
making phone calls on behalf of clients.
This means
that we can provide practical assistance from
the start of
an enquiry to its conclusion
Benefits
of our service for the practice
- Medical
staff can deal with purely medical issues in the limited time
available.
- The
frequency of consultations can be significantly reduced by
addressing underlying social problems & relieving
stress.
- The
process of claiming disability benefits can be improved by
sharing information. This can in turn reduce the volume
of appeals
and hence the number of requests for detailed medical
evidence.
- Working
in partnership with the CAB can assist a PCT in meeting its targets
for addressing health inequalities by dealing with some of the
underlying social problems which contribute to poor
health.
*Evidence report ‘Prescribing
Advice’,
available
at www.citizensadvice.org.uk
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