A VISIT to the doctor's surgery now promises to cure much more than medical ailments for residents in west Southampton.

Thanks to a £110,000 grant from the Outer Shirley Regeneration programme, five surgeries will provide sessions from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB).

The three-year project was developed after research showed that many patients - particularly older people - regularly visit their GP to discuss non-medical matters, including debt problems and welfare advice.

But while many patients feel more at ease discussing these problems at a doctor's surgery instead of existing, traditional advice centres, GPs have raised concerns.

They have stated that it is inappropriate for them to advise on these matters and insist that their working time should be spent treating patients' medical complaints.

As a result, the CAB has established a programme of regular advice sessions that will allow GPs to refer patients on to their CAB adviser, who will be running sessions focusing on welfare benefits and coping with debt.

Robert Smith from the CAB said the project, which has been developed in partnership with Southampton Primary Care Trust, will have "numerous" benefits for GPs and clients alike.

He said: "As well as helping to reduce the workload of GPs, the new service will ensure that many more people who are not at the moment accessing advice agencies such as the CAB will gain the information they need to claim benefit and pull themselves out of debt.

"Hundreds of thousands of pounds of benefit are left unclaimed each year.

"We are confident this scheme, which will make welfare information much more accessible to the community, will encourage local people to take up their due welfare benefits."

Phil Harris, the health co-ordinator with the Outer Shirley Regeneration programme, said: "This service will help empower people to take control of their finances, which should in turn help reduce stress and improve the health of the local community."

The new CAB service will run every morning in the following doctors' surgeries:

Monday - Cheviot Road Surgery; Tuesday - Shirley NHS Walk-in Centre; Wednesday - Aldermoor Health Centre; Thursday - Lordshill Library; Friday - Brook House Surgery.