Mrs. T felt very vulnerable, frightened and alone. Due to the pandemic, her mental health had worsened and in escaping an abusive husband, she had become cut off from friends and family. She was alone with three children. One of them was physically abusive to her, which had worsened during lockdown.

A GP referred Mrs. T to a Wellbeing Coordinator. In conversation, she noted that neither Children’s Services or her mental health social worker were really listening. Little support had been given to her. Due to having to isolate, Mrs. T needed help with shopping, but nobody had helped. She needed to access Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but didn’t know how to complete the application form. Her house was unsuitable and too small for the family, and they needed help looking at alternative housing.

The coordinator discussed the many options available, which Mrs. T was unaware of. She explained support was still available in the pandemic, although services had to operate through telephone or online support.

The coordinator advised Mrs. T to register with the council’s resilience hub to help her with shopping, and Mrs. T asked the coordinator to refer her to Women’s Aid for her domestic abuse issues. Also she asked for a referral for her housing situation. Mrs. T asked for a referral to Citizens’ Advice for help with her benefits application too. She gained information about Mind’s advocacy service to ensure she was being listened to and had a voice in her family’s care. Further, the coordinator emailed her up-to-date information on local mental health support she or her family may have wanted.

Deeply moved, a very grateful Mrs. T thanked the coordinator for her work. She was more positive due to the help available, and four weeks later, Mrs. T felt more supported. Women’s Aid gave her weekly telephone advocacy and support, and a council volunteer did her weekly shopping. Citizens Advice had helped with her benefits application, and she was awaiting further assistance for her housing situation.

Contact a Wellbeing Coordinator for support

Our team of Wellbeing Coordinators works throughout RCT. If you need non-medical support for any social, emotional or practical challenge, please contact the Wellbeing Team.

Picture credit: Photo by Ken Wyatt on Unsplash.