GPs could prescribe money off energy bills under Treasury plan

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Northerner

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GPs could write prescriptions for money off energy bills for the most vulnerable under a plan drawn up by the Treasury, as Liz Truss’s team signalled more help with costs now forecast to top £6,000 next year.

The unusual proposal would mean people could consult their doctor for an assessment on whether they are struggling enough to require help with their bills.
https://www.theguardian.com/busines...isis-if-government-doesnt-act-on-energy-costs
A senior government source said the GP plan was “something that we are
interested in looking at” although a “long way off completion”.

The idea first reported in the Sun on Sunday was dismissed by the shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, saying the Conservatives “have lost the plot on the cost of living crisis and haven’t got a clue about the level of pressure on the NHS”. It would probably be resisted by overstretched doctors.

www.theguardian.com

GPs could prescribe money off energy bills under Treasury plan

Proposal would mean doctors would assess whether patients are struggling enough to require help
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

What a completely ridiculous idea 😱 :(
 
Utterly bonkers.
 
As if Doctors haven't got enough to do dealing with all the medical issues which forces people to go to A & E for things which should be being dealt with by the GP. That in turn means ambulances are waiting to hand over patients.
My other half's 97 year mother waited 4 hours for the ambulance when she had a fall and broke her hip a few days ago.
 
Are the GPs meant to do a financial assessment in the surgery to see if the patient is struggling financially?
It's a bizarre way to tackle high bills.
Government grants for better insulation in houses would be a much better idea.
 
Amity Island said:
How could one go to the Doctor and explain all of your luxuries (new lux cars, mobile phones, handbags, netflix subscriptions etc plus any alcohol and smoking costs) and then say I can't pay the essential bills?
Click to expand...
As I think the article mentions, GPs aren't the right people to be judging this kind of thing. Also, your list of daft things is very Daily Mail and not at all plausible to me. It's very reminiscent of the complaints about poor people having "flat screen TVs" used a while ago (at a time when it was impossible to get any other kind of TV).

This article suggests that 9% of British people have no savings at all, and 41% have not enough that they could survive a month without any income: https://www.finder.com/uk/saving-statistics

The UK has miserably mean welfare payments which is partly why there was so much need for furlough (and the special changes (now revoked) around sickness payments). (Many other European countries normally have better support for temporary unemployment and sickness.)
 
Social prescribing has been becoming a bigger part of GPs workload for a while - I very much doubt that it will mean GPs actually doing the financial assessment of people. It's much more likely that what it really means is that when someone attends their GP with anxiety etc, GP can ask the quick question "are you struggling financially?" then refer to a support charity like CAB for them to help the person actually apply for anything they're entitled to.

In the area where I work GPs and other primary care health professionals can already refer to CAB if they think finances are having a negative impact on mental health as there is a contract drawn up by the CCG. (ICB now but it was a CCG when they first signed the funding agreement).
 
it's a bad faith proposal by a bad faith government.

Nothing quite like defunding the NHS while telling them to go to the doctor because they're too poor.
 
Windy said:
Government grants for better insulation in houses would be a much better idea.
Click to expand...
There are loads of grants available.
 
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