Mental health check and support available

According to the NHS, one in four adults experiences some kind of mental illness at some point in their lives. Many different things can cause mental health issues and they can affect anyone.

Concerns about money and mental welfare are sometimes linked, with either being the root cause of the other. This can be particularly hard, as being in debt can make mental health issues feel even worse.

How you feel mentally plays a vital role in how you deal with the demands of daily life – that includes everything from interacting with people to managing money. According to the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, 46% of people with problem debt also have a mental health problem.

Signs that you may be struggling include:

• You feel anxious about reading bank statements or checking your account balance
• You’re worried about being able to pay bills and avoid opening important letters
• You feel guilty after spending money or spend money on things you feel you shouldn’t
• You’re not sleeping well because you’re thinking about your finances
• You feel low or like there’s no way forward due to your financial situation

If you’re worried about your mental health and how it’s impacting your financial decision making, there are services that can help. Visit your GP or contact a healthcare professional – the NHS has an excellent overview of its services. 

If you have financial worries about things like upcoming repayments you’re concerned you can’t make, we can help.

We want to support you in any way we can, so please don’t hesitate to contact our Credit Management team who are ready to explain your options. You can call them on 0203 059 5784 Monday to Thursday from 8am to 8pm, Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm.

If you’re worried that your financial problems are having an impact on your mental health, talking to someone about it is your first step to getting back in control.

We want to support you in any way we can, so please don’t hesitate to contact our team to discuss your situation. 

You can call us or reach out to us using the app or Online Banking and one of our team will get in contact with you directly. To do this, log in and go to Help > Personal circumstances > Share your personal situation.

If it's too much to manage your account at the moment, you can give someone else permission to act on your behalf. To do this you need to obtain a power of attorney, or we can arrange to set up what’s called a ‘third party mandate’ for you.

If you'd like to know more about power of attorney, the Citizens Advice Bureau website has a clear explanation.

If you’d like to find out how a power of attorney or third party mandate works with your bank account, see third party access.

There are several independent organisations and charities ready to offer advice and help with your mental health.

You can also get helpful advice by speaking to an independent organisation. Here are some free and confidential services available to help you.