What is Back on Track?
Back on Track is a new service which is being offered to working age people who have long-term health conditions and disabilities, and who have money worries. Back on Track is working with local GP practices, Lambeth and Southwark Councils, and four Housing Associations to provide people with help to claim all the benefits they are entitled to, obtain grants, and deal with any debts that they have. It also works with health services to make sure that people have the support they need to better manage their health conditions.
We can work with anyone who is below State Pension age, and who is registered with one of our participating GP surgeries. At the moment, we are working in Clapham Park, Stockwell, South Bermondsey and Peckham.
The Back on Track support teams are located in Citizens Advice Southwark and Age UK Lambeth, and they work with your local GP practice to make sure you get help with both your financial issues and your health condition.
How can Back on Track help me?
Back on Track has trained advisers based in Citizens Advice Southwark and Age UK Lambeth. When we receive your request for an appointment we send this onto the most appropriate team for you. This will depend on which GP you are registered with. If you are registered with a GP in Clapham Park or Stockwell your appointment will be made with the team based in Age UK Lambeth. If you are registered with a GP in South Bermondsey or Peckham, your appointment will be made with the team based in Citizens Advice Southwark.
Your appointment will either be face to face or over the telephone, depending on your preferences. In many cases, appointments can be made to see you in your GP practice, but this will depend on which GP you are registered with.
The Back on Track adviser will talk to you about both your health problems and any money worries you have, and can work out a plan of action with you to help and support you. This may include claiming additional benefits, applying for grants, or helping with debts. Our Council and Housing Association partners have committed to placing a hold on any enforcement action for up to 60 days whilst you are working with your adviser. This means we can help with any Council Tax or rent arrears that you may owe them, but if you have other debts we may need to refer you to specialist debt advisers.
The Back on Track advisers also work closely with members of the NHS to see what other support you can access to help with your health conditions. This includes any mental health problems that you may have.
Does it cost anything?
No. The Back on Track service is completely free of charge.
Who is behind Back on Track?
Back on Track is being delivered by a partnership, and is funded by a charity - Impact on Urban Health. The partnership is being led by a not for profit research centre called the Centre for Responsible Credit, and we hope that the service will address debt problems and mean that people can better manage their health conditons without taking out credit.
The delivery of the service is being undertaken by teams based in Age Uk Lambeth and Citizens Advice Southwark, and we have agreements in place with Lambeth and Southwark Councils and with four housing associations - Hyde Housing, Metropolitan Thames Valley, Optivo, and Southern Housing. These agreements allow us to request a stop on any enforcement action for debts that you may owe to them for up to 60 days whilst the advisers work with you. When you request an appointment, we tell these partners that you have entered the service and ask them for details of any debts you may have with them, so that we can plan a way forwards with you.
Other key members of the partnership include your local GP. They will monitor the difference that the service makes to your health condition and will report this, anonymously, to our evaluators, Cordis Bright Ltd. We never access or share your personal health records. Anonymous results are reported by your GP as we are trying to make the case for more funding so that we can expand the service to other GP practices.
How secure is my data?
When you request an appointment through our website you provide us with some information about yourself which we share with the Back on Track advisers. This helps them to plan how best they will be able to support you before your first appointment.
The data that you provide through the website is held on secure servers in the UK. It is encrypted, and the only time we share this is when we send an e-mail to the advisers with your request for an appointment. We only keep the data for as long as necessary for us to make sure that you have received an appointment, and to enable the evaluation of the service. This is 12 months. After that your data will be deleted. You can read more about how we handle your data, and your rights, in our privacy statement, which is available from the link at the bottom of our website.
I've received a phone call from Cordis Bright, who are they?
We are working with Cordis Bright to evaluate the service. They are an indepdendent research company, and we have asked them to get feedback from people using the service. The only information we have provided them with is your name and contact details. It would be very helpful for you to talk to them, and we really appreciate any feedback you can give.
But you are not obliged to talk to them if you do not wish to do so.