Frequently asked questions
Plain answers about what Citizens Advice advisers can help with in GP practices, who can use the service, and what to expect at an appointment.
Who the service is for
Citizens Advice in GP practices places trained advisers in or alongside surgeries so that patients can get help with everyday problems that affect their health. Many people visit their GP with a symptom that has a practical cause: rent arrears that cause stress, a benefit decision that has stopped income, or a dispute with an employer about sick pay. The advisers are there to deal with those problems directly.
You do not need to be registered with the practice to ask for help, and you do not need a referral from your doctor. If you are a patient, the adviser can see you on the same day as your appointment or arrange a later time. Anyone who lives or works in the area served by the practice can ask for support, and advice is confidential.
Advice is free, confidential and independent. It is available to anyone who needs it, whatever their situation.
Advisers are not clinicians and do not give medical opinions. Their role is to explain your rights, help you understand official letters, complete forms and, where needed, contact other organisations on your behalf.
What the advisers can help with
The service covers the main areas where money, housing, work and legal matters affect health. Advisers can help with the topics listed below and can refer you on to specialist services when a problem needs more detailed support.
- Benefits, tax credits and entitlement checks
- Debt, budgeting and repayment plans
- Housing, rent arrears and repairs
- Employment rights, sick pay and redundancy
- Family, relationship and civil legal problems
- Consumer disputes and unfair charges
Detailed answers to common questions
Nothing. The service is free at the point of use, and there are no charges for the first appointment or for follow-up contact. Advice is funded so that cost is never a reason to delay getting help.
Advisers work under a confidentiality policy. Information you share is not passed to your GP or to anyone else without your agreement, unless there is a serious safeguarding concern that the law requires to be reported. The adviser will explain this clearly before you begin.
Not unless you ask for that. Your appointment with the adviser is recorded in the adviser's own system. If your problem affects your health and you want the practice to know, the adviser can help you write a short note or agree what should be shared.
No. You can ask at reception or speak to a member of staff who will arrange a session with an adviser. Some practices also take requests by phone or online. If your problem is medical, you should still see the GP as usual, and the adviser can work with you on the non-medical side of the issue.
Bring any letters you have received, especially those from the council, the Department for Work and Pensions, your landlord, an employer or a creditor. Bring bank statements or payslips if money is involved. If you do not have the papers, the adviser can still start with what you remember and help you request copies.
Many problems are resolved in one or two sessions. More complex cases, such as a long benefits appeal or a housing dispute, may need several contacts over a few weeks or months. The adviser will tell you at the start roughly what to expect and will confirm the next steps at the end of each session.
Booking and attending a session
Sessions are usually held in a consulting room or a shared space in the practice. Times vary between surgeries, so ask reception for the current timetable. Where an adviser is available only on certain days, staff can often add you to a waiting list or suggest another location nearby.
If you cannot attend in person, some advisers offer telephone appointments. Tell reception if you need a longer session, a particular language or an interpreter, or any adjustment because of a disability. Those requests are routine and should not stop you from being seen.
Spaces in the practice
The photographs below show the kind of settings where sessions take place. Each practice arranges its space differently, but the aim is the same: a calm room where you can talk without being overheard.
If you cannot get an appointment
Demand for sessions can be high, and waiting times vary. If you are told that no appointment is available, ask whether you can be placed on a cancellation list or whether a telephone session is possible. If your situation is urgent, for example if you face eviction or have lost all income, say so at reception so the staff can take that into account.
You can also read our description of the services offered or check the background to the partnership to see who runs the scheme in your area. Questions not answered here can be raised with the practice team at any time.