Citizens Advice welcomes Lorna Stevens

Citizens Advice is really pleased to welcome Lorna Stevens to the team in the role of Citizens' Representative.

This new role was developed with Community and Civic Commissioners of Morecambe Bay Poverty Truth Commission and is funded by the local NHS and by Citizens Advice North Lancashire.

Those commissioners with lived experience identified the barriers faced by people with complex needs living in poverty when accessing health, housing and welfare services and gaining favourable outcomes.

The process of negotiating health care systems, the Department of Work and Pensions, housing, and other statutory or commercial services can push people with complex needs, to become more unwell and face even greater poverty.

The Citizen’s Representative role has been created to help people get the care and support they need and are entitled to, to alleviate the stress faced by people when accessing services.

It offers advocacy and support holding the wishes and needs of the citizen at the centre. It is governed by the values of the Poverty Truth Commission: "Nothing about us, without us, is for us."

Lorna will be working with our teams and across NHS teams to support clients with complex long term needs who need advocacy and support to access services.