Saving lives with advice research Sept 2015 – MMU and Manchester CAB – Sept 2015
Key Findings
Through the delivery of high quality advice, Citizens Advice Manchester saves lives and improves the health and wellbeing of the clients it serves. As a result of support from Citizens Advice Manchester, participants in this study had improved mental and physical health and wellbeing, and were less likely to be reliant on local authority and NHS services. During the time period under analysis, Citizens Advice Manchester increased the household income of Manchester residents by over £4.4 million, primarily relating to debt (over £2.6 million) and benefits and tax credits (£1.56 million). Debt, welfare benefits and tax credits form the majority of advice issues dealt with by Citizens Advice. 80% of clients complete at the Tier One stage, and 52% of clients’ advice issues were resolved within one day. A sample of clients participated in a follow-up study based on their advice experience: 81% noticed a difference in their peace of mind and wellbeing.
Debt or concern about a financial issue affected all of the participants’ physical health, mental health, or sense of wellbeing. Participants suffered from a range of clinical issues; caused, or worsened, by the issue they sought advice about: chest pains; lowered blood sugar levels in a person with diabetes; deepened depression; insomnia; stress, and anxiety. This point is particularly pertinent given that the sample only consisted of 11 participants for this study. Most concerning is that two of the eleven participants had considered harming themselves prior to support from Citizens Advice Manchester.
As a result of seeking advice, the participants in this study saved money, received additional welfare benefits, and gained knowledge of how to resolve their own problems. Advice had protected those participants at risk of harming themselves, such that it was described as a ‘lifesaver’. Indeed, the impact of advice had been substantial: whether or not participants had Saving Lives With Advice: September 2015 received the outcome they had hoped for, the advice they had received had had a positive effect on their health and wellbeing.
For the majority of participants, there was nobody else they could have turned to for the help they needed. As a widely recognised and respected brand, Citizens Advice Manchester was seen to act as a physical or emotional buffer, protecting its clients and, as a result, engendering a high level of trust from participants. The service has a range of delivery channels including telephone, digital and face –to-face access points in community settings across the city. This, combined with a network of trusted partners, ensures that the organisation is positioned at the heart of local communities in Manchester, and as such is best-placed to meet the need for the preventative, community-based services required by health and social care policy makers at local and national level.
