Across Swindon, many families are living below the poverty line and a number more are facing financial difficulties.
These challenges often induce feelings of stress and anxiety, and enhance poor mental health or long-term physical conditions, and Trust is seeing an increase in patients arriving to the Emergency Department with problems brought on due to facing financial strain.
To support the local community and reduce repeat hospital attenders, the Trust has partnered with a number of organisations across Swindon to launch its new 'Reach Out' campaign, which will offer early interventions, such as financial, debt and savings advice.
To take forward the 'Reach Out' campaign, which will raise awareness, offer advice on budgeting and saving, and provide signposting to services that can deal with specific issues related to financial difficulty to those who need it, we have initiated relationships with:
- Nationwide Building Society
- Mind
- Citizens Advice
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership
- Swindon Borough Council
This community working will forge closer relationships between the health service and the population it serves, whilst embedding support from other partners to offer support over and above what the NHS can facilitate.
Further information
For financial support, please see: