A programme supporting Newcastle Hospitals staff with welfare advice has been extended to next year, thanks to Newcastle Hospitals Charity.
Citizens Advice Gateshead’s ‘A Helping Hand’ will now run to the end of March 2025 after providing support to more than 100 staff in the last year.
They work with Newcastle Hospitals’ chaplaincy team to support employees in finding solutions to a range of social welfare issues from finance to housing.
Between April 2023 and March this year, there has been a 40% rise in the number of people using the service.
It’s said that this demonstrates both the need, and the success of the work done to increase visibility of the service.
Thanks to the programme, each client has been potentially able to maximise their income by an average of £1,000.
Any member of staff at Newcastle Hospitals is being urged to contact the programme if they are in need of support.
The programme started in September 2021 after initially running as a successful pilot.
Steven Hewitt, Health Improvement Practitioner Advanced and co-chair of the ENABLED staff network, said: “Our unique partnership with Citizen Advice Gateshead provides our staff with direct access to free, impartial and confidential advice on anything to do with social welfare (housing, finance, bills and benefits etc).
“This service allows us as a Trust to support our staff through a cost-of-living crisis.
“This partnership is only possible due to the amazing support from Newcastle Hospitals Charity and in particular the ‘funding and partnerships’ team who have been instrumental in supporting this project.”
Sam Laing, Community Advice Services Manager at Citizens Advice Gateshead, said: “We are delighted Newcastle Hospital’s Charity is extending the Helping Hand staff support scheme, in Newcastle hospitals, through to March 2025.
“This strictly confidential scheme has directly supported 102 hospital members of staff over the last year through face-to-face, or pre-arranged phone appointments.
“Staff present with an average of 6 issues across a wide range of topics, from welfare benefits, debt, employment, through to housing – no issue is too small, or too large, for us to help you.
“As a result of engaging with Helping Hand, each client could maximise their income by an average £1,000.
“We’d love to help you too, come and talk to one of our friendly advisors today for some free, confidential advice.”
The service can be contacted by phone on 0191 814 4215 or e-mailed [email protected]
Your donations make supporting programmes like this possible – to donate to Newcastle Hospitals Charity, please head to our make a donation section of our website.
