What I've put below may sound harsh, but it's meant with kindness, I just realised it sounded bad when I'd wrote it, so added this at the top 
If you have an awful credit rating then my first tip/recommendation would be to not borrow any more money, because it's likely to be horrendously expensive and possibly not the best idea.
Is there any chance of downsizing to release money to pay off your debts and possibly keep some money back if the property you own is unaffordable for you to run. A smaller property should have cheaper council tax and utilities and you could reduce travel costs if it's closer to amenities.
But if that's not an option, you need to forget about 'one payment being better than multiple' because in the days of direct debits, that's nonsense and used by sharks to exploit the vulnerable and naive.
You need advice from someone who knows your full financial picture. Other things to think about:
What caused you to get into debt, was it a one off issue, or just financial mismanagment and are you over whatever it is?
Have you done a budget and could you afford to pay back a loan if you got one? How secure is your income?
If you spoke to a broker, you might be able to get an affordable mortgage, depending on what you mean by a diabolical credit rating, and if you meet income criteria but then you must keep up repayments or else your home is at risk. That's the big downside of a secured loan. If you don't pay, you can lose the asset it's secured on.
Have a look at www.moneysavingexpert.com/budgeting-debt-help/ for starting on sorting your budget and signposting for help.
Good luck. 