Single, simple 'Share Once' service needed for people with mental health problems – Martin Lewis calls for end to 'cruel' current system
People struggling with their mental health need a simpler way to tell banks, energy firms and other providers that they need support – with the majority currently missing out on extra help due to how daunting the existing process can be. That's according to new research from MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis and the charity he founded and chairs, the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI).
Many firms – such as banks, energy suppliers and telecoms companies – offer extra support for people with mental health problems. For example, some allow you to nominate a trusted person to receive important notifications or manage your account on your behalf.
But MMHPI's research shows the majority of people living with mental health issues are missing out on this extra support – only 14% surveyed having told their financial services provider about their condition.
Martin and MMHPI are calling on the Government to introduce a 'Share Once' system, which would make it easier for those living with mental health problems to disclose their conditions to all the providers they use at once, in a safe, secure way.
Watch: 'Why should you have to tell firm after firm that you're vulnerable?'
In his video below, which he shared on social media on Monday 23 March, Martin explains the need for a unified notification system that can work across essential services such as banks, energy and water firms, and others:
Read the full video transcript
"It feels almost cruel. A vulnerable person in the middle of a mental or physical health crisis, trying to get in touch with companies and government agencies to tell them that there's something wrong and they're vulnerable, may have to call essential services firm after firm, agency after agency, repeating the same painful, possibly embarrassing, possibly triggering explanation again and again. In a digital age, that makes no sense.
"Now the Government has a 'Tell Us Once' system for someone who dies, but we lack the same for those who are alive and struggling. We've got a new policy suggestion coming out from the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute charity that this makes no sense. Why don't we have a single, simple system that can work across essential services like banks, energy and water firms, and government systems too – whichever people choose that they want to be notified?
"Now of course, safeguards and informed consent are essential – people must have control over their data. But it's time we stop focussing on using data just to drive profit, and maybe starting to use it to drive compassion. We would love you to take a look at more details about what this policy means, and how we're going to try and push it out to regulators and policymakers over the next year or so. We've love your support too.
"And if you've suffered from a mental health issue and a financial issue together, then why not join our research community? All of the policies we come up with on money and mental health – they're not just there, clever ideas on a piece of paper – we put them through our Research Community of up to 5,000 people with lived experience to make sure that they think they would have a practical impact in the real world. Thanks for your time, thanks for listening."
Martin Lewis: 'It is time we started using data to drive compassion'
The Government has a Tell Us Once system for when someone dies, yet we lack the same for those who are alive and struggling. That makes no sense. We need a single simple system that can work across essential services like banks, energy and water firms, and government systems too – whichever people choose.
Right now, a vulnerable person in the middle of a mental (or physical) health crisis may have to call firm after firm, and government agencies on top, repeating the same painful, possibly embarrassing or triggering explanation again and again. In a digital age where data sharing is simple, that feels almost cruel.
Of course, safeguards and informed consent are essential – people must have control of their data. But it is time we stopped focusing on using data to just drive profit and started using it to drive compassion.
'Being able to share once would make my life immensely better'
People living with mental health problems told MMHPI they found it distressing to repeatedly share details about their condition with different services, such as banks and utilities firms – with over half (53%) saying they'd be likely to use a 'Share Once' system.
Sharing once would make my life immensely better. It gets extremely stressful and negatively affects my mental and physical health having to tell a company all of this every time.
- MMHPI survey respondent
Despite this, some surveyed said they were concerned about how their personal information and data would be stored and used by providers under a 'Share Once' system, and how the information they give could potentially be used to block access to products like credit or insurance – something Martin and the MMHPI have considered in their recommendations.
What Martin and his charity are calling for
Martin and the MMHPI are asking the Government, regulators and providers to:
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Introduce a 'Share Once Support Register'. This should allow people to share information about their mental health in a simpler way, while also protecting their privacy. And it should include ALL essential services, including banking, energy, telecoms and water.
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Require providers to take part. This would help to avoid gaps in the scheme where you still have to notify some firms separately. But providers should still offer help to those who don't want to use the 'Share Once' notification process.
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Ensure there's a redress system in place. So people can complain about the scheme if it's not working properly or if they feel their data is being misused.
The previous Government's planned 'Share Once' system hasn't been rolled out
In 2024, under the previous Government, the Department of Business and Trade announced plans for a 'Share Once Support Register', which would allow vulnerable people to share information with energy, telecoms and water companies all at once to access extra support. However, that plan has still not been implemented, nearly two years later.
We put Martin's and MMHPI's calls to the Department of Business and Trade, and we'll update this story if we get a response.
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