Applying Poverty Proofing©

Applying Poverty Proofing© Across NHS Greater Manchester

Poverty Proofing© can be applied in many settings across NHS Greater Manchester (NHS GM) - workplaces, community services, and across a myriad of agencies that we work in partnership with.

See below for a detailed understanding of what this means in practical terms here at NHS GM:

Access to Healthcare Services

• Affordable health services: Ensuring that all services, from general practices to specialist care, are affordable for people living in poverty, including providing free or low-cost options for essential health services.
• Transport support: Providing transportation subsidies or ensuring that health facilities are in areas that are easily accessible by public transport, especially for those living in poverty who may struggle with transport costs
• Extended clinic hours: Offering flexible appointment times, including evenings and weekends, to accommodate those who work multiple jobs or have irregular working hours, a common situation for people in low-income jobs.
• Outreach services: Bringing healthcare services to communities in need (e.g., pop-up clinics or mobile units in deprived areas) to remove geographic and logistical barriers.

Addressing Financial Barriers to Health

• Health benefits awareness: Raising awareness among individuals experiencing socio-economic disadvantage about their eligibility for health-related benefits (e.g., free prescriptions, dental care, or financial aid for medical treatment).
• Integrated services: Offering services that link health to financial support, like providing direct referrals to benefits assistance or financial counselling during health visits. This might help individuals who face challenges such as debt or low wages that affect their ability to maintain good health.
• Sliding fee scales: Implementing sliding scale fees for non-essential services (e.g., physiotherapy, mental health support) to ensure that individuals pay based on what they can afford.

Cultural and Linguistic Sensitivity

• Interpreters and Translation Services: Providing free translation and interpreter services to people whose first language isn’t English, ensuring that language barriers do not prevent them from accessing health services.
• Culturally relevant services: Ensuring health materials and services are tailored to the specific needs and cultural considerations of marginalised communities, including those from ethnic minority groups, refugees, or migrant populations.

Support for Mental Health and Well-Being

• Access to mental health services: Ensuring that individuals from low-income backgrounds can access mental health support without facing long waiting lists or financial barriers. This could include offering free counselling sessions or subsidised services.
• Trauma-informed care: Providing training for NHS staff to understand and recognise the impact of poverty and trauma on mental health, ensuring that people are treated with empathy and understanding

Community and Social Support Integration

• Referral systems: Establishing a system where NHS staff can refer patients to local charities, food banks, housing services, or social support programs when they identify that someone is struggling with poverty-related issues.
• Collaboration with local organisations: Partnering with community-based organisations to ensure people in poverty have access to the holistic services they need, such as social care, housing, and employment services, alongside healthcare.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Identifying poverty-related health needs: Collecting data on patients' socio-economic status (in a sensitive and voluntary manner) to better understand the specific health needs of low-income populations and to target services where they’re most needed.
• Monitoring for inequality: Regularly reviewing service delivery and health outcomes to identify whether poverty is a factor contributing to disparities in healthcare access or health outcomes. For example, identifying whether individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to miss appointments or receive less timely care.

Preventative Health Measures

• Preventative health education: Offering free or low-cost preventative health services, such as vaccinations, screening programs (e.g., for cancer, diabetes, and heart disease), and educational resources that target at-risk populations in impoverished areas.
• Healthy food access: Working with public health campaigns or local authorities across GM to increase access to affordable healthy food options in areas suffering from food insecurity.

Inclusive Employment and Workforce Practices

• Fair employment practices: Ensuring that NHS jobs are accessible to people from disadvantaged backgrounds by offering training and support to help them enter the healthcare workforce. This could involve offering apprenticeships, or providing free uniforms and travel allowances to low-income staff.
• Workplace support: Addressing issues of pay and conditions for NHS staff who may also experience poverty, such as those on lower-paid roles (e.g., care assistants, cleaners). This can include offering living wages and financial wellbeing support.

Policy Review and Engagement

• Poverty Impact Assessments: Regularly reviewing policies, practices, and services to ensure that they do not unintentionally disadvantage people living in poverty. This might include making sure that eligibility criteria for services are not overly rigid and do not exclude those who need help most.
• Consultation with communities: Engaging communities in poverty-proofing efforts by seeking their input on what barriers they face when accessing NHS services and involving them in decision-making processes for local health initiatives.

Click here to return to the Tackling Poverty Toolkit page.