National discounts

The following national discounts are available to NHS colleagues:

• Blue Light Card: provides a range of discounts online and in store for NHS, emergency services, social care sector and armed forces colleagues who purchase a Blue Light Card.
• Asda: as at August 2022, Asda is offering 10% discount in store for Blue Light card holders.
• Health Service Discounts: offers discounts, vouchers and cashback for NHS and healthcare workers. You can join for free on their website.
• Money Saving Expert: details a number of NHS and care worker staff discounts, some of which do not require a Blue Light Card.
• Fleet Home Electronics: their scheme, in partnership with Curry’s, enables NHS and public sector staff to order the latest technology and spread the cost over 12 or 24 months.
• Money Saving Expert: details a number of NHS and care worker staff discounts, some of which do not require a Blue Light Card.
• Fleet Home Electronics: their scheme, in partnership with Curry’s, enables NHS and public sector staff to order the latest technology and spread the cost over 12 or 24 months.

Help for households discounts and offers

Various discounts and offers are available from businesses as part of the government’s Help for Households campaign.

Supermarket loyalty schemes

• Asda: the Asda Rewards app enables customers to build up a ‘cashpot’ to spend in Asda stores or online.
• Lidl: the Lidl Plus app gives shoppers access to weekly discount coupons, exclusive discounts and prizes, including 30% off in store bakery items on Monday to Saturday (excluding bank holidays) from 7pm until closing time.
• Morrisons: the My Morrisons app provides personalised offers on items you buy frequently. NHS colleagues can also join the NHS Club via the app for access to exclusive offers.
• Sainsbury’s: the Nectar scheme enables shoppers to earn one Nectar point for every £1 qualifying spend in store, online or on fuel.
• Tesco: Tesco Clubcard members can collect one point for every £1 spent in store and online, and one point for every £2 spent on fuel.
• Waitrose: the My Waitrose scheme provides members with freebies and personalised offers.

Pre-owned items

• Vinted: a free online platform where you can sell and buy clothes and other secondhand items.
• Facebook Marketplace: Facebook members can buy or sell new and used items. You can choose to collect it, or the seller may deliver it.

Help for households

• The government’s Help for Households campaign provides information on help with your energy bills.
• It includes an online tool where you can find ways to save energy in your home based on details you provide about your property.

Advice and guidance

• Citizens Advice: their website has a page dedicated to getting help with bills, with specific pages for energy bills and water bills.
• Money Saving Expert: the website has a guide on what to do if you’re struggling to pay your energy bills.
• Energy Saving Trust: provides energy advice for your home which could help you lower your bills.
• Ask Bill: the website has pages dedicated to support with water and energy.
• Ofcom: details cheaper broadband and phone packages for people on low incomes.
• Taking Charge: this campaign helps people working in social care, and those they support, to save money on their energy bills by offering free interactive webinars and accessible resources.

National schemes

• Help for households: the government’s Help for households campaign offers various forms of financial support for eligible individuals, including help with transport costs.
• Fleet Solutions: offers a lease car scheme for the NHS and other public sector organisations.
• Car parking guidance for the NHS: the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts states that staff working night shifts (ie with a shift starting after 7.30pm and ending before 8am) receive free parking for the duration of their shift.

Fuel costs

The following tools can help you find the cheapest petrol and diesel prices near you:

• PetrolPrices app
• Confused.com petrol prices finder
• GoCompare petrol and diesel prices finder.

Blue Light Card members can also apply for a free Esso fuel card to access discounted fuel at Esso stations across the UK, and collect Nectar loyalty points when filling up

Travel money saving tips

• Money Saving Expert’s guidance on cheap MOTs
• RAC’s quick money saving tips for drivers.

Help for households discounts and offers

A range of discounts and offers are available from businesses as part of the government’s Help for Households campaign and the gov.uk cost of living support website. Each includes a range of support on income and disability benefits, bills and allowances, childcare, housing and travel.

For example:

• Asda: Children aged 16 and under can get a hot or cold meal for £1 at any time of day in Asda cafes across the UK, seven days a week, with no minimum adult spend, until the end of 2022.
• Morrisons: in-store cafes offer a free meal for one child under 16 when buying an adult meal costing £4.99 or over.
• Sainsbury’s: their Feed your family for a fiver recipe scrapbook provides budget friendly meal ideas to feed a family of four for under £5.

• Help for households: the government’s Help for households campaign offers various forms of financial support for eligible individuals, including help with childcare costs.
• Child Benefit: the Government offers parents and carers up to £1,248 a year to help them with the costs of raising their first child, and up to £826.80 for any additional children. Claims can be made on GOV.UK’s online service. Families can download the HMRC app for further support.
• Specified Adult Childcare credits: grandparents who mind children while parents are at work may be able to apply for Specified Adult Childcare credits if they meet certain eligibility criteria. Further information and how to apply can be found on GOV.UK’s Specified adult childcare credits: fact sheet.
• Childcare Choices: provides information on government help with childcare costs for parents.
• Healthcare Workers’ Foundation: the charity provides financial support for childcare related costs through grants of up to a total of £1,000 annually. Their childcare grants page provides more information.

National organisations

• MoneyHelper: MoneyHelper’s website provides information on a range of topics, such as benefits, money troubles, savings and pensions. They also offer a free Couch to Financial Fitness programme. You can contact them for free, impartial advice via the NHS telephone support line on 0800 448 0826 or using the details on their contact us page. The Money and Pensions Service also hosts a Talk Money Week every year to encourage money conversations in the workplace and with friends and family. Find out more on their Talk Money Week page.
• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC): You may be able to claim your employment expenses directly from HMRC for uniforms, working from home, tools and more. HMRC authored a guest blog for the Healthcare Financial Management Association, which you may find useful to refer to for more information on the best way to claim a tax refund. They have also published articles in healthcare magazines warning nurses of repayment agent fees when claiming tax refunds. HMRC’s online guides and support help you understand your taxes, what you are due and how to claim them:
  • • Understand your tax code better on gov.uk or watch the YouTube tax code guide
    • Check whether you are eligible for marriage allowance
    • Find out more about the P45, P60 and P11D forms using the workers’ guide
    • Sign in or set up your personal tax account, or find out more first by watching the personal tax account YouTube guide
    • Download the free HMRC app.
• Local Government Association (LGA): LGA’s cost of living hub shares best practice case studies and resources on various areas relating to the cost of living, such as food, fuel and energy. LGA also provides specific information on cost of living and support for people with a learning disability or autistic people.
• Learning Disability England: Provides accessible cost of living resources.
• Scope: Their cost of living page provides details of action they have taken and various support resources.
• Citizens Advice: Offers free, confidential advice on various matters such as benefits, work, housing, debt and money. Their website has a page dedicated to help with the cost of living and provides various ways to contact them for advice.
• Money Saving Expert: The website provides a range of financial advice, with a dedicated cost of living help section. Their Cost of living help guide provides over 90 ways you can save money. They also provide money saving tips specifically for disabled people.
• BBC: Their cost of living page provides help and tips on saving money, including articles, videos and a personalised guide.
• Anglia Care Trust: Its Reducing everyday living costs booklet provides tips on how to save money on utility bills, food, fuel and more.
• Inclusion London: Has pulled together various sources of support on the cost of living.
• Debt Advice Foundation: Offers free, confidential support and advice to anyone worried about loans, credit and debt. Contact details are available on their Debt Advice Foundation website.
• Ask Bill: If you are concerned that you are spending more than you have or want to be kinder to the environment with your energy usage, the Ask Bill website offers free, impartial advice about money and bills.
• Angel Advance: Provides free expert debt advice to help individuals manage their debts. Their website has a specific cost of living page.
• StepChange Debt Charity: Offers free debt advice to help you deal with debt and set up a solution, along with guides on the rising cost of living.
• Banks: Various banks have mobile banking apps and internet banking tools to help customers with money management, such as NatWest and Lloyds Bank. HSBC has a range of resources, including a cost of living hub and webinars, a financial fitness tool and tools to help with managing your money.
• National Databank: Provides free mobile data, texts and calls to people in need via Good Things Foundation’s network of community partners.
• RSPCA: Their website provides advice on how you can look after your pet’s health whilst keeping costs down.

Grant funding and financial support

• Registration and revalidation fees: The Nursing and Midwifery Council will not be increasing the registration fee for the remainder of the 2022/23 financial year and have no plans to put it up in the next financial year, as detailed in the Council Papers – 28 September 2022. The General Medical Council provides information on fee discounts available to doctors.
• Government cost of living support: The government’s Help for households campaign and cost of living support page provide
• Cost of Living Payment: The Department for Work and Pensions provides guidance on getting a Cost of Living Payment if you’re entitled to certain benefits or tax credits.
• Healthcare Workers’ Foundation: Provides grants of up to £1,000 to healthcare workers who need help with their finances. More information about the grants available can be found on their financial support page.
• The Care Workers’ Charity: Supports care workers in the UK with one off grants, including the COVID-19 Emergency Fund, Crisis Grant and Funeral Grants.
• Turn2us: a national charity which provides practical help to people who are struggling financially. You can search for grants on their website.
• CSIS Charity Fund: Supports serving, retired and former civil and public servants, and widows and widowers of deceased CSIS policyholders, with grants to help with costs such as essential household bills. You can ask about eligibility for a grant using the details provided on their website.
• Social Workers’ Benevolent Trust: Offers financial help to social workers and their dependants in times of hardship. Details about the grants available and how to apply can be found on their website.
• Cavell Nurses’ Trust: The charity helps registered nurses, midwives, nursing associates, maternity support workers and healthcare assistants, both working and retired, who are experiencing personal or financial hardship. You can find out if you are eligible for financial help on their website.
• Junius S. Morgan Benevolent Fund: the charity provides grants to UK registered and retired nurses, midwives and nursing associates. Further details, including how to apply, can be found on their grants page.
• The Queen’s Nursing Institute: Provides financial support for nurses.
• RCN Foundation: Provides details of the financial support available to pre-registration undergraduate nursing and midwifery students across the UK.
• The Ambulance Staff Charity: Provides various services to support the UK’s ambulance staff and their families, students and ambulance service volunteers, including financial grants.

• NHS England support: There is a range of support available for our NHS people, such as:
  • a 24/7 confidential text support service available to NHS colleagues who are feeling worried or overwhelmed or need someone to talk to, accessible by texting FRONTLINE to 8525
  • wellbeing apps that NHS staff have been given free access for a given time.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): Your own organisation may offer an EAP service that provides confidential support 24/7, seven days a week, with a range of issues such as relationships, stress, legal and financial concerns, bereavement and discrimination. Find out from your own employer whether this is available and if so, how to access it.
• Mental Health and Money Advice: The service’s cost of living page provides information on how you can maintain your mental wellbeing and manage your money as bills rise.
• NHS Every Mind Matters: Better Health – Every Mind Matters provides expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.
• Samaritans: provide a non-judgemental listening ear for those who need someone to talk to. Their website provides contact details.