Award-Winning Welfare Rights Project to Be Rolled Out Across Dundee

Dundee City Council scooped the Chairman’s Award at the 2017 Cosla Excellence Awards last week for a scheme that sees welfare rights advisers based in five city GP surgeries.

The advisers have become an integral part of services provided to patients, addressing socio-economic concerns and allowing GPs and other health professionals to concentrate more on clinical needs.

The scheme has proven so successful that there are plans already in place to take the service to further GP practices in Dundee.

While the actual locations are still not being disclosed, Craig Mason, senior manager for the council’s advice services, said they would be in place no later than March — perhaps sooner.

Mr Mason said the council was anxious to extend the project further following its success.

The idea, he explained, was for welfare rights officers to be on hand in surgeries once a week to answer patients’ concerns on welfare and financial issues.

He said the scheme, which launched in 2015, allows the officers — with the consent of clients — immediate access to patients’ medical records, speeding up benefits claims and appeals.

He added: “Welfare rights teams can assist those with health conditions to claim the benefits to which they are entitled. This can then lead to better incomes, better diets, better social inclusion and better health and wellbeing generally.

“The advisers have become an integral part of the services provided to patients in their local communities, addressing socio-economic concerns and allowing GPs and other health professionals to concentrate more on clinical needs.

“By linking in early with people when illness or disability strikes, the advisers have successfully used access to medical records to secure more than £2.1 million in extra income since January 2015.”

Mr Mason said the money ultimately stayed in the local economy.

A report earlier this year estimated that every £1 invested in this service generates about £39 in social and economic benefits to local communities.

Mr Mason said that as universal credit — a new system that rolls six existing benefits into a single monthly payment — draws closer, the service could prove to be even more beneficial to people.

He said there was little doubt the new legislation could add to people becoming more stressed and potentially ill.

Kenna Balion, a welfare rights officer with the council, said the project had been successful in ensuring a quicker and fairer process for clients.

She added: “This project has proved to be very popular with people. They are able to make an appointment to speak with a welfare officer, while they are attending their GP surgery. All the appointments are always taken and normally booked up a week in advance.

“In the course of any one week, welfare officers will see about 30 people throughout the five centres. In total since the project began, 1,009 separate appointments have been made within the practices.”