NHS Bursary keep increasing debt!

annielous

Hi all,

I wondered if anyone could give me some advice please?

I started an social work course in 2010. 6 months into the course I was taken ill and couldn't complete the course. The university and the NHS bursary scheme who were paying me a maintenance grant were notified at the time and said everything has been sorted and I didn't need to pay anything back as I was dropping out due to health problems. The course was axed the next year and plus I was too I'll to return anyway.

3 years on I'm on ESA (support group) as I'm too ill to work. I suddently got a bill from the bursary schemes saying I owed them £2000 due to over payment of my grant back in 2010. I appealed and they said if a doctor would send a letter stating I was ill back then then they'd reduce it. I did this and it was reduced to £1500 still an awful lot but they started threatening me with court action so I begged friends and family and got the money. I went to pay the bill and they said 'oops we worked it out wrong you actually owe us £3000!!!!!' The next day after phoning them asking what happened they said they'd sat down and worked it out and my final bill was £5000 and said 'sorry it was our error but we have a duty to claim All the money back.'

Can they really just keep increasing the debt due to their bad calculations? I was annoyed anyway as they told me I didn't have to pay anything back in 2010 and now they're saying that advice was wrong but now they've increased it to £5000 from the original £2000 (reduced to £1500) I was suicidal over the lower figure let alone the 3 times sum. I have no way of borrowing more from friends and family and no income. And what's to say when I pay it they won't come back for more and say they got it wrong again?!

Amy advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA

Vicxie

When they initially told you that you did not have to pay the money back, was this by phone or via a letter?