Cost of Living Survey January - March 2023
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Following Healthwatch England's Cost of Living Survey, Healthwatch Staffordshire conducted their own in January - March 2023. They received 28 responses.
75% reported that their financial situation had become worse in the last 6 months. This has impacted physical and mental health. They found that women were affected by the cost-of-living crisis more than men, as were those with a disability or long-term health condition and those receiving any type of benefits. Those with at least one child in the household were also struggling more.
Based on their findings, HW Staffordshire made the following recommendations:
The main role Healthwatch Staffordshire can take is to publicise the help available through their website and Social Media channels, in particular:
1. Publicise local Patient Transport Services.
2. Publicise local Travel Reimbursement Schemes.
3. Publicise schemes available to help reduce the costs of prescriptions.
4. Publicise sources of local help (see Appendix 1)
They can also work with our partners to investigate some of the other National recommendations such as:
5. Freephone numbers for GPs & Hospitals
6. GPs to offer over-the-counter medicines on prescription in cases of financial hardship
7. Dentists to use the NICE guidelines for individual risk assessment to manage the frequency of patient appointments accordingly