Sick Leave Please Help

carinaboo

I work in the NHS and missed a lot of work last year due to back problems. As a result I had surgery 6 weeks ago which I am told has around a 6 month recovery time. Because I missed so much work last year my full sick pay allowance is due to decrease to half pay in January, which will leave me well short for paying rent and bills, council tax etc, let alone being able to eat. I was wondering what help (if any) i would be able to get. I don't have any savings or credit that I can rely on, and I'm starting to get a bit worried about how I am going to get by.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks. Already posted this in employment board too so posting here for extra help

Apologies if this is posted in the wrong place, I'm a newbie

sally0101

Hi

I too work in the NHS and was in a similar situation last year on the sick. Are you getting tax credits? I assume these would stop but I was advised they wouldnt so there is one thing to look into.

I set myself a budget up so I knew what I was spending each month. Most things stayed the same ... rent, council tax, Elec/gas etc. Other things such as food and petrol ... I draw a certain amount out for the month and I know I have that and that only and I make it last.

Do you live in a council property, a private rented house or do you have a mortgage. If you are with the council, you should be entitled to council tax and housing benefits. Im not sure if you are a private tennant or have a mortgage. Your best bet is to contact citizens advice for information or your local council should have numbers for advisors on such matters.

Feel free to ask if there's anything else you think of. I will try my best to help. But most of all ... take the time to get better as your health is worth more than any amount of money.

Failing all of the above ..., buy a lottery ticket and marry a rich doctor. Lol.

andrea_louise

I think Contribution Based ESA should kick in, once the SSP is up, (SSP is only payable for 28 weeks), it will not equate to a lot of money (£67.50 during the assessment phase), I was in your situation a few years ago following spinal surgery, as sally0101 says contact CAB and Budget, Budget and Budget some more. There are some fantastic inspirational ideas on this site for cutting bills, and reducing food expenditure. Good luck and I hope you make a full and speedy recovery!

carinaboo

Thank you for replying.

sally - I live in a private rented flat, so I am assuming that I won't get housing or CT benefit. I don't get tax credits as I think that when I am on working and on full pay I don't qualify. That may be different on half pay though.

andrea_louise - do you know if I get SSP on top of my half pay, as I always thought that SSP was factored in to make up my sick pay and therefore I would not get it.

I've looked at benefits websites but can't really make head nor tail of them. The cynical me might say that it's to put people off applying but I'm sure that's not the case!
I will contact the CAB and see what they say. I don't want to be in a position where I have to rush back to work before I'm ready because I can't afford to live.

Thanks again.

sally0101

I rang payroll when I was off and asked them to explain it all to me in plain and simple english ... non of their jargon .. they did so and I understood it. Sometimes takes me a while to get my head round stuff too so give them a call and maybe even ask to go speak to someone if you can get someone to drive you.

And as for the benefits stuff being confusing for a reason ... I agree.

baza52

do you live alone or have a partner?
If you do their income will be taken into account for benefit purposes like housing benefit/LHA council tax benefit and any other means tested benefits.
To get contribution based benefits will also depend if you have sufficient NI contributions.

andrea_louise

andrea_louise - do you know if I get SSP on top of my half pay, as I always thought that SSP was factored in to make up my sick pay and therefore I would not get it.

I've looked at benefits websites but can't really make head nor tail of them. The cynical me might say that it's to put people off applying but I'm sure that's not the case!
I will contact the CAB and see what they say. I don't want to be in a position where I have to rush back to work before I'm ready because I can't afford to live.

Thanks again.[/QUOTE]

Sorry about the delay in responding. Yes SSP is included in the full pay, and when I was in your situation the SSP was on top of the half pay for 2 weeks, then I was told to apply for Incapacity benefit as it was then. I received this on top of my half pay! The CAB will be your best bet, but don't panic, you can survive on it! CAB will advise on the best way to proceed. Good luck!