Tower Hamlets Health & Advice links Project

The Health and advice links project has been running since 2004 and provides advice sessions at 4 of our surgeries within the East End Health Network. Trained advisors provide advice a wide range of issues ranging from welfare benefits, housing and debt. The advisors also actively refer patients onto self management of chronic condition courses, employment and training courses, ESOL and volunteering opportunties.

Research has shown apart from clinical issues, there are other contributors to people’s ill health, such as housing, low income, debts, rent arrears, and immigration problems; these underlying problems are all significant in increasing people’s stress levels, causing anxiety and depression. These problems are too often brought to GP’s. The Project enables GP’s and their staff to refer these patients to the advisors who are based at the practices and are experienced in dealing with these issues.

The project’s aims are to:

• Divert inappropriate demands from GP’s and other Health Care Professionals to Advisors who are better qualified to deal with these requests.
• Contribute to improving the health of priority groups by increasing income and reducing stress.
• Increase awareness and understanding amongst primary care staff the value of advice services.

Current Work

• Provide social welfare advice directly to patients each year in their local practice on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
• Appointments with Advisors are 30 minutes (longer for complex issues.) Advisors will do follow up work at their own base.
• Complex cases are referred to specialist Advisors either at own base or other agencies.
• Refer patients to self management of chronic conditions courses, ESOL, employment and training courses and volunteering opportunties
• Where appropriate Inter-practice referral arrangements have been set up.
• We can arrange for home visits for housebound patients.
• Support and provide ongoing Training for Advisors.

---