Remote advice service from Citizens Advice and SSEN helps people returning home from hospital

To help people keep well at home after spending time in hospital, particularly in the current Covid-19 period, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has brought together a set of organisations to launch a new support scheme.

SSEN will be working with Citizens Advice Hampshire, Southern Water and Portsmouth Water to run a new advice service in hospitals in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with a remote service in the meantime.

Anthony Urquhart, SSEN’s distribution operations director said: ‘For anyone returning home from hospital, their recovery is their most important focus and through the Home and Well scheme, they can be assured that SSEN and our other Home and Well partners will have the additional services in place to assist them, and help alleviate any unnecessary worries they may have in relation to the power and water they need.’

The remote service offers patients a review of their finances, including utility bills, supported by Citizens Advice Hampshire’s trained advisers.

This will ensure they are managing their finances and maximising the benefits that utility companies offer, including bill management, energy performance advice and water tariff review.

Patients will also be helped to register for priority services, allowing them to receive additional support should they experience a power cut or loss of water supply.

Currently, Petersfield Hospital and St Mary’s Hospital IOW have signed up to take part in phase one of the scheme, and discussions have started with Gosport War Memorial Hospital, Queen Alexandra Hospital and University Hospital Southampton.

The Home and Well service is being offered across the whole of the NHS in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight remotely.

Tim Cooling, head of strategy for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Partnership of Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: ‘Keeping people safe and well in their own homes following discharge from hospital is an important factor in avoiding re-admittance and is a key priority for the CCG.

‘The Home and Well service provides a valuable wraparound offer supporting individuals with debt advice, benefits and issues with housing and utilities.’

For further details about the project, email Elaine Allum at [email protected].

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