Debts & Loans

A NURSE whose husband committed suicide after getting into debt says a scheme to help people with money worries could save lives.

Sally Parmar has urged people to make use of a project offering Citizens Advice Bureau sessions at GP practices across Derbyshire.

The scheme, which was introduced across the county 11 months ago, looks set to help people recover £2m of unclaimed benefits by the end of March, as revealed in the Evening Telegraph in January.

And Sally hopes it could prevent further tragedies, like the death of her husband, Stewart McInnes.

The 40-year-old killed himself after his wedding photography business collapsed, leaving him with unmanageable debts.

After his death, grieving Sally turned to the Citizens Advice Bureau for help to deal with £60,000 to £70,000 of debt, and after several months declared herself bankrupt.

Now, the 47-year-old is over-seeing a project offering bureau sessions at Overseal Surgery, near Swadlincote, where she is practice nurse and manager.

She said: "This help could be life-saving in the sort of extreme circumstances I was facing.

"I found myself unable to open letters because I knew I couldn't deal with what was inside them, so I used to put them in the sink and set fire to them.

"I would hide under the stairs if anybody came to the door because I was afraid it would be the bailiffs.

"The bureau gave me the basis to make an informed decision and I decided to declare myself bankrupt. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"I knew what my options were before I approached them but having somebody there to talk to made it far clearer and I felt supported."

Mr McInnes ran into debt during the recession of the early 1990s but managed to hide the extent of the problem from Sally, who believed their debts were just a third of what they actually were.

He had a history of suffering from bipolar disorder, a mental health problem which leads to severe mood swings, and the stress of his financial worries caused this condition to spiral out of control.

The impact of stress on people's health was the reason for the partnership between Citizens Advice Bureau and Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust.

Sally said health problems created by debt worries could include stomach ulcers, bowel conditions, heart attacks and palpitations, seizures, insomnia and anxiety and panic attacks.

She said: "This scheme means we've got an adviser on site and people know they are in a confidential environment.

"It empowers people with the knowledge they need to make their own decisions.

"It helps them by letting them know they are not on their own."