Our information and advice service is closing

Age UK Staffordshire’s information and advice service will be closing at the end of July 2019.

As a charity, we rely on grants or contracts to operate many of our services and activities, along with donations. We know that services like information and advice make a huge difference to people’s lives and appreciate the impact any closure has on local older people who have benefited from this service.

We have been offering information and advice support for over 20 years, and have supported over 40,000 older people and their families during that time. This valuable service has helped identify £2.5 million, per annum, in unclaimed benefits for local residents, as well as providing information on wellbeing, health and lifestyle that supports older people to live happier, independent lives. 

We are currently in talks with Age UK national and partners to ensure a smooth closure of the service.

As of 30 May 2019, we are no longer taking any new referrals. However we are still working with existing clients or clients that are currently waiting to be seen. Age UK national are now taking calls as the service closes and have started to signpost enquiries to other local services who may be able to help.

We are saddened that such a valued service that has helped so many must close. Every effort has been made to find ways to keep the service going but despite these efforts it simply isn’t sustainable in the current funding environment to maintain this free service.

We are very mindful that it’s not just the service users who are affected by this decision but also the staff and volunteers who have made it possible to keep providing vital information and advice for as long as we have. We are grateful for their continued efforts to ensure current users continue to get the best possible service and are signposted to other agencies and charities who can continue to assist them. 

The closure of our information and advice service does not affect any of our other services. We continue to offer much needed and vital services for Staffordshire’s older residents, including Day Opportunities, Befriending, Lunch Club, Care and Help at Home, and a range of health and wellbeing projects and activities.

If you need information and advice, you can contact the Age UK National Advice Line on 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 365 days a year from 8 am to 7 pm. Age UK’s advice line is a free, confidential national phone service for older people, their families, friends, carers and professionals. Their team of expert advisers provide information and advice that covers every facet of later life, from helping people find out the benefits they are entitled to claim, to discussing options that help make later life at home more manageable.