Legal News

Research by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has found that GPs are increasingly dealing with patients’ worries over housing, unemployment and debt.

In the last year, GPs have seen an increase in the number of patients who have faced financial problems as a result of the government’s so-called “Bedroom Tax” – introduced as part of the coalition government’s welfare reforms, set out in the Welfare Reform Act 2012.

The changes made law under the Act were introduced from last year – those in receipt of housing benefit who had a spare bedroom saw their benefit reduced as a result. Many elderly social housing tenants whose families had left home were affected – as well as disabled social housing tenants, many of whom require a spare bedroom for equipment to be stored in or for carers to be able to stay overnight.

The High Court has ruled that the government’s bedroom tax is lawful, however.

In a BMJ survey of GPs, 68% of 1,056 GPs who responded said that the Bedroom Tax had increased their workload – and doctors working in inner city areas were especially affected by the impact of the government’s welfare reforms.

Out of the 198 inner city GPs who said that their workload had increased over the last year as a result of the Bedroom Tax, 22% said that their workload had increased “significantly”, a total of 29% said it had “increased” – and 26% said it had increased “slightly”. A total of 23% of the 198 inner city GPs said their workload had not increased at all over the last 12 months as a result of the Bedroom Tax.

The GPs who responded to the BMJ survey also revealed that the £500-a-week cap on welfare benefits per household had also impacted on their workload, with more patients presenting with anxiety over debt and unemployment issues.

A total of 92% of 911 GPs who responded to the question said that debt issues among patients had increased their workload.

Of these, 39% said debt worries among patients had “increased” their workload, while 28% said debt issues among patients had “significantly increased” their workload.

A total of 25% of the 911 GPs who responded had seen their workload “slightly increase” because of debt worries among patients – and 8% of the 911 GPs said no increase in their workload had occurred as a result of patients’ debt worries over the last 12 months.

Inner city GPs were again fund to be most affected by debt worries among patients – 36% had seen their workload increase because of patients’ debt worries, while 38% had seen their workload increase because of unemployment worries among patients.

The BMJ is investigating the effects of the government’s austerity measures on GPs and NHS patients in England, including welfare reforms such as the spare bedroom subsidy – commonly called the Bedroom Tax.

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of housing solicitors and can advise owner- occupiers on issues such as conveyancing, debt management and debt resolution and mortgage repossession.

Duncan Lewis housing solicitors are also a leading provider of Legal Aid services and advise rental tenants on a range of housing matters, including:

• Disrepair of rented property


• Housing benefit


• Landlord & Tenant disputes


• Local Authority housing


• Unlawful or malicious eviction.

or expert legal advice on debt or housing problems, call Duncan Lewis housing solicitors on 020 7923 4020.