Doctors will often be faced with situations where patients present with problems involving legal issues which the doctor is not able to resolve. Examples might include:
- The patient is facing eviction from their home
- The patient has already been evicted and is sleeping rough
- The patient is feeling distressed and/or has suffered a deterioration in their mental health due to problem such as having received a letter threatening action being taken against them.
- The patient is unable to recover from a medical condition due to the conditions of the accommodation which they are living in.
Doctors do not have the training or the resources to resolve these problems themselves and do not have time to try and find a lawyer or advice worker who can do so. Cuts in Legal Aid have given rise to a severe shortage of people or organisations who the patient can be referred to.