Financial worries or difficulties can really impact our mental health. Rising energy prices, food and bills means that many colleagues are struggling to keep up with the cost of living. It is important that we are able to seek support and advice when required. This page has lots of useful information and support services around all thing’s money related.
Financial Wellbeing
Financial worries or difficulties can really impact our mental health. It is important that you are able to seek support and advice when required so we have put together a few useful contacts and links here and also created a useful guide of support - click here to access.
Supporting staff to help money go further - There is a range of widely-available financial wellbeing support and ideas to help any member of health and care staff make their money go further, including:
- Cavell Nurses’ Trust: the charity helps registered nurses, midwives, nursing associates, maternity support workers and healthcare assistants, both working and retired, who are experiencing personal or financial hardship.
- The Queen’s Nursing Institute: provides financial support for nurses.
To find out more about these options and others available, visit NHS England » Supporting our staff to help money go further
The Healthcare Workers’ Foundation is a registered charity founded by healthcare workers, for healthcare workers, to address crucial welfare and wellbeing needs.
At the Healthcare Workers’ Foundation, they provide grants of up to £1,000 to healthcare workers, no matter what your role, who are struggling with their finances.
It’s easy to apply for financial support and they have two funds to choose from.
- General Fund - up to £1,000
- Rainy Day Fund - up to £250
Visit the website here to learn more about the financial support available.
Did you know that MoneyHelper has a dedicated number for NHS colleagues to access money and pensions guidance? You can call them on 0800 448 0826
Why not try Money Helpers 'Couch to Financial Fitness' Programme - a 10 week programme available here
Money Helper - www.moneyhelper.org.uk for advice on pensions, savings, debt and money worries.
Debt Advice - Contact The Debt Advice Foundation, a specialist debt charity offering free, confidential advice on any aspect of debt. Call for FREE debt advice on 0800 043 40 50 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm)
NHS staff telephone support line - NHS colleagues can call this support line, provided by the Money Advice Service, for free and impartial money advice from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Call: 0800 448 0826 WhatsApp Add +44 7701 342 744 to your WhatsApp and send the Money Advice Service’s national support team a message for help with sorting out your debts, credit questions and pensions guidance.
Financial Wellness Support Group - Join the Staff Wellbeing Team on the first Wednesday of each month to chat all things financial wellbeing, sharing tips and worries together. Contact dchst.yourwelbeing@nhs.net for the link to join.
Learn how to think about your finances differently in the Financial Wellness Webinar
Derbyshire County Council - The cost of living is rising and this could have a big impact on all aspects of your finances including energy bills, the cost of your weekly shop and your take home pay.
Derbyshire County Council have put together lots of information and advice, designed to ensure that you're getting all the help that you are entitled to. Please click here to visit their website.
Working From Home Tax Relief - Take a look here to see if you are eligible to claim tax relief whilst working from home. Take a look here for help on how to claim from Martin Lewis (moneysavingexpert.com).
Energy Saving Tips & Tricks - If you couldn't make it to the latest Marches Energy Workshop you can still pick up some top energy saving tips and tricks as we recorded the session for you! Access it here
Pensions - The NHS BSA have events planned throughout the year to help you:
- Understand what the NHS Pension Scheme is
- Find out about your Total Reward Statement and Annual Benefit Statement
- Explore your retirement options
More information can be found here Guidance for NHS employees
Salary Finance - Did you know you have access to Salary Finance to support you with your money all year round? To support you during the current cost of living squeeze, Salary Finance provides access to financial benefits designed to help you take control and reduce money worries.
“I chose to take advantage of Salary Finance because it gives you peace of mind. Life throws so much uncertainty at you that you can’t plan everything. Having SF there when in need is a massive help.” - Jamie, SF customer"
Through Salary Finance you have options to:
Borrow, affordably through salary
- Access affordable loans with lower interest rates. Designed as an alternative to high interest credit cards, overdrafts and payday loans - it can be used to pay off existing debt quicker and cheaper, cover an unexpected expense or help you achieve your money goals. Representative Rate 13.90% APR (fixed)
Important: This is an option, not a recommendation. Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust does not benefit from offering this service and all your communications will be with Salary Finance. Loan applications will be assessed to ensure the loan is appropriate and affordable for you. “Learn” content is for guidance and educational purposes only and is generic in nature. Salary Finance does not offer regulated financial advice. Please seek independent financial advice.
To find out more about Salary Finance and the financial support available to you, visit: https://home.salaryfinance.com/dchs
Salary Finance Webinar - To help you improve your financial resilience, their Head of Financial Education, Jason Butler recently hosted an interactive 1-hour webinar that covered:
- How getting rid of debt could improve your ability to deal with a financial crisis
- The part your mindset has to play in being resilient
- An action plan for how to move from surviving to thriving
To watch the recording, click here.
Important: Derbyshire Community Health Services does not benefit from offering this service and all your communications will be with Salary Finance. Loan applications will be assessed to ensure the loan is appropriate and affordable for you. “Learn” content is for guidance and educational purposes only and is generic in nature. Salary Finance does not offer regulated financial advice. Please seek independent financial advice.
Wagestream is live!
You can now access Wagestream, your brand-new financial wellbeing benefit, that lets you access a percentage of your pay, whenever you need it. You can also track your wages in real-time, learn easy tips to manage your money and save your wages straight from your pay.
To find out more, click here
NHS Discounts Available - We know money is tighter than ever at the moment - we've put together a little video highlighting some of the discounts available to you as a member of the NHS - click the image below to view
Health Service Discounts: Offer exclusive discounts, cashback and vouchers for NHS staff including shopping, travel, mobiles, motoring, and utilities.
To access Health Service Discount, click here (It is FREE to sign up)
Blue Light Card (£4.99 for 2 years access to amazing discount) - Home to a range of official discounts from large national retailers to local businesses in a wide range of categories including holidays, cars, days out, fashion, gifts, insurance, phones and much more! Discounts available on-line and in-stores!
Click here to access the website
Blue Light Tickets - Once you are a member of Blue Light card you will also have access to sign up to the Blue Light Tickets. Which provides you with the chance of getting free tickets to venues, sports events, attractions, festivals, and concerts.
Sign up here to be one of the first to find out about new ticket opportunities!
Blue Light Card Reimbursement - We want to try and make it a little easier for our DCHS colleagues so we are delighted to announce that we will reimburse the cost of a Blue Light Card, enabling you to access a wide range of discounts on-line and on the high street.
The Blue Light Card is open to all NHS staff. Quick and easy to apply for, it costs £4.99 and is valid for two years. Register here and your card will be posted to your home address.
Claim your reimbursement via EasyExpenses by selecting ‘Blue Light Card’ under expense type and the cost of the card will automatically be applied. For bank staff, please contact the wellbeing team at dchst.yourwellbeingteam@nhs.net for details on how to claim back the cost of your BLC.
Concerts for Carers - a not-for-profit charity promoting the mental health and wellbeing of NHS and paid Care workers across the UK.Gives you the chance to win tickets to a wide variety of events around the UK. All successful ballot entries are subject to a non-refundable booking fee of £4.50 and payment is taken if ballot is unsuccessful.
Click here to sign up
NHS Discount Offers - We aim to provide the best deals, discounts and promotions available on the Internet, with over 100 different retailer offers available.
All our deals are online and therefore not available in-store.
Click here to sign up
Building on a project in partnership with Citizen’s advice in the 0-19 service, which has seen increased demand since the onset of austerity measures following the economic downturn and changes to the universal credit system, DCHS is pleased to announce a dedicated service for staff.
The need for greater financial support has greatly intensified following the chronic social and financial aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic response and the current cost of living increases being experienced and the pending increase to national insurance contributions that are due to take effect from 1 April 2022.
Citizen’s advice will provide advice, help and support to staff on a range of issues and will improve their health and reduce health inequalities.
The service will provide advice, support and advocacy on categories including but not limited to:
- welfare benefits
- debt management and write off
- employment issues
- housing and homelessness
- domestic abuse
- relationships and family
- discrimination and cost of living increases
If you are experiencing financial worries or you would like some advice take a look at the Citizens advice website for information on where to turn for support https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money.
One of our attendees at the Financial Wellbeing Peer Support Group has kindly pulled together some hints and tips to help make our money go further. You can read the latest blog here
The Derbyshire Safeguarding Adults Board has put together a cost-of-living advice and support webpage that signposts to resource available in Derbyshire. Please click the link for more information.
FREE Will Writing Service
No Cost, No Catch, No Excuse.
Making a Will is one of those things that many people put off. However, having a Will in place is an important way to protect your family and loved ones at the most difficult of times.
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust and Estate Planning & Will Writing specialists Dunham McCarthy are able to offer you a free will writing service to help you plan for your future, protecting your family and loved ones.
The free service is provided remotely, either by telephone or video call, at a time to suit you. You will have an adviser to help you complete each step from start to finish.
For more information and to book your initial appointment please click here
For FAQ'S about the service please click here
With our weekly grocery shopping bills increasing, the BBC have created a webpage with helpful tips to make the most the most of our money, while helping to create nutritious meals for our family. You can visit the page at Budget recipes and advice - BBC Food.
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Foodbanks and Food Apps |
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Please visit the websites listed below to see the full list of food banks operating in each area and how to access them.
Turn2us Benefits Calculator can help you see if you qualify for food bank vouchers. Too Good to Go: Our mission? To make sure good food gets eaten, not wasted. Every day, delicious, fresh food goes to waste at cafes, restaurants, hotels, shops and manufacturers - just because it hasn’t sold in time. The Too Good to Go app lets customers buy and collect Magic Bags of this food - at a great price - directly from businesses. OLIO: OLIO connects neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away. This could be food nearing its sell-by date in local stores, spare home-grown vegetables, bread from your baker, or the groceries in your fridge when you go away. For your convenience, OLIO can also be used for non-food household items, too. Kitche: Kitche is ideal for those among us who either run out of ideas to make use of our leftovers or aren’t entirely clued up on what we’re wasting. The free app has thousands of recipe suggestions that users can filter by the ingredients in their kitchen that need to be used up. |
DCHS is signed up to the Halfords Cycle to Work scheme. This scheme offers a cost-effective way to get new bicycles and cycling equipment. The scheme is run via a salary sacrifice meaning you won’t pay tax or national insurance – this saves you between 32% and 42% on your new bike and accessories. This reduced cost is simply deducted out of your payslip over 12 or 18 months, so no need to worry about large one-off costs!
Sign up at www.cycle2work.info using the employer code DERBYCHC2W
Liftshare is a scheme that helps staff across DCHS and all of Joined Up Care Derbyshire to find colleagues who live close by to share lifts. Liftshare, available as an app for both drivers and non-drivers, offers the opportunity to make travelling to and from work easier, cheaper and more sociable. It also reduces the impact on the environment of driving alone and helps to ease parking pressures on sites. It's flexible, so you decide when you want to share. More information is available here.
Trade unions can often support their members with financial difficulties, contact your local representative or visit your trade union’s website.
Staff Food Parcel Distribution Provision @FNCH
"No questions, no judgement".
We are working in partnership with Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance, a food poverty charity, to support in facilitating easy access to food parcels for staff working at FNCH site.
The parcels can be obtained either on site at FNCH or by directly contacting Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance. The parcels will contain a number of staple food items, such as cereal, milk, tinned food and packets of pasta etc. Follow-up advice and support to those who request parcels will also be offered by Derby Food 4 Thought Alliance.
For further information, please email cheryl.mallen@nhs.net. All enquiries will be treated in confidence.
