Northumbria Primary Care is pleased to share that we are partnering with Bright Northumbria Healthcare Charity and Citizens Advice Northumberland to provide enhanced welfare advice and support for our patients and staff.

Through this collaboration, the Welfare Advice Service will be available to patients registered with Northumbria Primary Care GP practices across South East Northumberland, as well as to patients at Wansbeck General Hospital during their stay.

During 2024–25, Citizens Advice Northumberland saw record numbers of people seeking support with issues such as debt, welfare benefits, energy concerns, cost-of-living pressures and crisis situations. This new service aims to make it easier for our communities to access the specialist help they need.

The service will also be open to all staff across Northumbria Primary Care and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, ensuring that our workforce can get support when they need it.

David Hedgcock, managing director of NPC, said:

“We’re incredibly proud to be working in partnership with Bright Northumbria Healthcare Charity and Citizens Advice Northumberland to bring this service to our communities. Every day, our teams see how financial pressures and welfare concerns can impact patients’ health and wellbeing.

“By making specialist advice more accessible, both in our GP practices and on hospital wards, we can offer more holistic support at the moments people need it most.”

Rob Graham, head of Bright Charity, said:

“This is a really exciting project which we hope will make a real difference to patients and staff who need specialist welfare advice. We’re looking forward to working with Citizens Advice Northumberland and NPC to make this happen.”

Further information about the service will be shared in Spring 2026.