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How GP-based service gives families better support

2 mins read Health
Wide-ranging family support improves the emotional wellbeing of families with complex needs.

Project
WellFamily

Funding
£300,000 a year from Hackney Council's public health budget for five WellFamily co-ordinators across 30 GP practices

Background
Doctors often see disadvantaged and isolated parents and families who need practical, social and emotional support as opposed to medical services. In 1996, a GP practice in Hackney, north east London, gained Department of Health funding to employ a family support co-ordinator and the WellFamily scheme was born.

Action
The project, which is run by the charity Family Action, provides a "single door" at GP surgeries for wide-ranging family support including counselling, advice and practical help.

GPs refer patients with complex problems to one of five WellFamily co-ordinators, who are mainly psychotherapists or counsellors.

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