Urgent advice needed

jazminkennedy

hi everone,

i need some advice plz.

my sister has been sectioned under the mental health act but before she went into hospital she maxed out her credit cards and overdraft. She is in debt of almost £3000, and every month the bank is charging her interest. I have paid all her utility bills and running her houshold but now i have even gone into my overdraft.

basically we cant afford to pay the £3000, does any1 know how i can get the bank to write-off the debt.

plz plz advise me on wot to do.

Many thanx

Jazmin

saffronflowers

I dont really have any advice but did not want to leave this waiting on its own, big hug and I am sure someone will be along soon with some advice.

SFx

Snaggles

I just posted but it disappeared, sorry!

I'm sorry to hear about your situation Jazmin - I'm not sure what the answer is but have you tried contacting the citizens advice bureau for advice - they may be able to tell you what to do.

Hope you manage to get it sorted - you shouldn't have to pay it, particularly if it is putting pressure on your own finances. Would your sister be entitled to any benefits while she is in hospital, as this might help cover her bills etc.

dudleyboy

Hi Jazmin, have you contacted the Citizens Advice Bureau for information and/or advice?

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

I'm sure they'll be able to help and give good advice.

DB

joeblack066

***HUGS*** Hpe that you and your sister and the rest of your family get all the support you need. The charity P3 give support to people who have been under Community Mental Health Teams when they are in recovery, might be worth a bell?? http://www.p3charity.com/

RAS

Hi

Firstly, do the bank know that your sisiter has been sectioned? If they do they might halt the charges.

Secondly, even if they do charge, the charges can be reclaimed, so do not worry about them. See here http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1141050760,24632. There is also a lively discussion board

Thirdly, what income should your sister be receiving? If she was on benefits that may be halted after a period but you could talk to her key worker. As the others say talk to CAB urgently. She should have been allocated a social worker at the hospital who might be able to help, after all the last thing they need is her losing her home or coming out to major financial complications

Finally, you cant sort this now but if the hospital think that your sister is fit enough, get a lasting power of attorney. This would enable you to pay bills out of your sisters account and to reclaim the bank charges on her account.

See if the hospital will include you in her next review and try to find out how long she is likely to remain sectioned, even if the indication is only weeks/months. .

If it going to be a long time, you need to talk to a solicitor and consider when you should go to the Court of Protection. if she does not already have an Enduring Power of Attorney, they will take control of her affairs. It is not the best situation, as they charge for the privelege, but it would mean them taking the flak, not you.

jazminkennedy

Hi everyone,

thank you all for your help and advice, so sorry for the delay in responding-i didnt get any email alerts just thought no one replied

My sister has been given home visits now and i am looking into the power of attorney thing. I have spoken to the banks but they wouldnt help because of the data protection act however, after speaking to CAB I obtained a letter from the hospital and sent it out to all her banks-informing them of the situation and telling them to freeze the interest on her accounts. So far so good.

Once again, Thank you all for your replies :T

Jazmin