Cost of living help - support for our communities

Across the country, people are struggling with the cost of living. Food and household bills continue to rise, alongside fuel prices, at the fastest rate seen in forty years.

Salary and benefit increases are not keeping pace with rising prices, so buying things and paying bills gets harder, especially for those on the lowest incomes.

This all comes at a time when local NHS and care services are already under enormous pressure with growing waiting lists for hospital and community care treatments.

How does the cost of living crisis affect people’s health and wellbeing?

There are several ways that the rising cost of living can affect people’s health.

• Being unable to afford a healthy diet leaves people malnourished.
• Being unable to keep a home warm leaves people at risk of developing serious health problems with an increased risk of death for those who are most vulnerable.
• Always worrying about having enough money to pay bills or buy food can also lead to stress, anxiety and depression.

Lower income families are most at risk from a higher cost of living because they have less money to spend in the first place. They are also more at risk of poor health – nearly half (48%) of the poorest 40% of families in the UK contain at least one person with poor health.

If you feel that your physical or mental health is being affected by financial stresses, you should speak with your GP.

Support in Peterborough

Part of our role here at Healthwatch is to highlight the available local support and services that are there to protect the wellbeing and health of local people, from money advice and energy saving tips, to food banks and mental health support.

Peterborough City Council

The council can signpost you to advice to help you make your money go further, from accessing grants to debt advice and support getting all the money that you’re entitled to.

They can also let you know more about the government’s recent support measures and how to access anything you may be entitled to.

Find more support with the cost of living

Winter Support Hubs

Peterborough City Council are working with community groups in Peterborough to set up Winter Support Hubs across the city. 

All hubs will offer food support. Many of them will also offer:

• Essentials
• Energy and warmth related essentials
• Social activities

Find Winter Support Hubs in Peterborough

Mental health support

We know that many people are feeling the strain as the cost of living continues to increase.

Money worries can cause increased anxiety, depression and feelings of shame with people not always knowing where to turn for advice says national charity - Mental Health UK on their advice website.

www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/ 

Even if you are not sure whether or not you have a specific mental health problem, it's important to seek help as this will play an important part towards getting and staying well.

Find out about local mental health suppport 

Get help with NHS prescriptions and health costs

You might be able to get free NHS prescriptions, dental treatment, eye tests and help with other NHS costs.

Whether you get help depends on things such as your income, whether you have a particular medical condition, how old you are, if you’re pregnant or if you are on certain benefits. 

Find out how to get help with NHS costs  

Help with travelling to medical appointments

There are lots of reasons why you might not be able to get to NHS services easily for non-emergency issues. For example, we often hear from people who are physically unable to travel, can’t afford transport, or live in a rural area.

Here, we provide some information about the support available to help make this easier for you.

Find out about help with travel to medical appointments

Looking after your health

Healthy Peterborough has lots of information and advice on how to stay well this Winter.

Visit the Healthy Peterborough website