Improving health through advice on financial problems
Thursday, 20 February 2025
Advice on Prescription service in Liverpool
In 2014, the NHS in Liverpool partnered with the charity Citizens Advice on an anti-poverty initiative that provides rapid access to enhanced welfare advice and support for residents.
The Advice on Prescription service has since become one of the largest health justice partnerships in England, providing over 14,000 interventions a year for around 9,000 households.
In 2020, the service expanded into health visiting, midwifery and perinatal mental health, supporting nearly 1,000 pregnant women and mothers in Liverpool each year with babies at risk of being born into poverty during the perinatal period.
A three-year research and evaluation project, funded by The Health Foundation and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), found consistent evidence that Advice on Prescription improved patient mental health and wellbeing, increased household income, and reduced food and fuel poverty.