Benefit Advice

confuseddaughter_2

cbrown372 wrote: »

It really does surprise me you didn't know this considering you personally have used hospitals across the country for your treatment let alone all your family medical history. Goodness you could write a book about it I imagine.

Thanks yes I have, and not one has ever offered any advice or asked if I wanted advice regarding claiming a benefit. Obviously I haven't been involved with either the Oncology or mental health departments. What would I write about and why would I?

tomtontom

cbrown372 wrote: »

It really does surprise me you didn't know this considering you personally have used hospitals across the country for your treatment let alone all your family medical history. Goodness you could write a book about it I imagine.

Indeed, you'd think someone who has been through the trauma of finding their father in such unfortunate circumstances would have required mental health support themselves ... or maybe that was the twin?

ohreally

Many CAB's run outreach services in NHS sites.

confuseddaughter_2

ohreally wrote: »

Many CAB's run outreach services in NHS sites.

Do they??
This is all very interesting. I am going to my local major hospital on Tuesday for tests and an endoscopy procedure. I'll ask around to see what is available and if it is available, why haven't patients been told or approached. Maybe I will be surprised and someone will come and see me without having to search for them.
On the other hand I very much doubt such help actually exists, but I stand to be corrected.

comeandgo

Help in hospitals, or some hospitals does exist. Both my parents and a close friend were approached while in hospital being treated for cancer and talked through all financial support available.

When_the_going_gets_tough

Macmillan sponsor benefits advice work and sometimes the sessions are held in hospitals. For other conditions I think such advice would be patchy at best. The best place to go for help on benefits is CAB or a local welfare advice/rights centre. The provision does vary depending on where you live.

fabforty

confuseddaughter wrote: »

Do they??
This is all very interesting. I am going to my local major hospital on Tuesday for tests and an endoscopy procedure. I'll ask around to see what is available and if it is available, why haven't patients been told or approached. Maybe I will be surprised and someone will come and see me without having to search for them.
On the other hand I very much doubt such help actually exists, but I stand to be corrected.

Help does exist, but it is up to the individual to ask for it. Hospitals have no way of knowing who needs benefits advice and who doesn't. I was diagnosed with cancer in the 90's, but did not need help with benefits as I was not in receipt of them. The hospital had no way of knowing this. Having cancer or being in ill in general does not always mean that the patient needs help with welfare payments. Nobody is expecting you or your parents to hold out the 'porridge bowl', you just need to speak up and ask for help. Expecting them to know that you need help and come looking for you is unreasonable.

pmlindyloo

fabforty wrote: »

Help does exist, but it is up to the individual to ask for it. Hospitals have no way of knowing who needs benefits advice and who doesn't. I was diagnosed with cancer in the 90's, but did not need help with benefits as I was not in receipt of them. The hospital had no way of knowing this. Having cancer or being in ill in general does not always mean that the patient needs help with welfare payments. Nobody is expecting you or your parents to hold out the 'porridge bowl', you just need to speak up and ask for help. Expecting them to know that you need help and come looking for you is unreasonable.

I beg to differ.

Often when people have been diagnosed with a serious illness then their income will have fallen considerably - either through being on sick pay or having to give up their job.

At the very least I believe that there should be someone at least advising them about non means tested benefits especially if there is a terminal illness involved and they can be fast tracked.

Although I am a great believer in empowering people to help themselves (going to CAB/researching on the internet)during a serious illness there is often a severe impact on the family and emotionally they are often not able to 'help themselves'.

Those in the know can get very blase about the benefits system but there are a lot of people out there who have no idea at all how to access benefits particularly at a time when they have other things to worry about.

ohreally

https://www.google.co.uk/#q=cab+outreach+nhs

confuseddaughter_2

fabforty wrote: »

Help does exist, but it is up to the individual to ask for it. Hospitals have no way of knowing who needs benefits advice and who doesn't. I was diagnosed with cancer in the 90's, but did not need help with benefits as I was not in receipt of them. The hospital had no way of knowing this. Having cancer or being in ill in general does not always mean that the patient needs help with welfare payments. Nobody is expecting you or your parents to hold out the 'porridge bowl', you just need to speak up and ask for help. Expecting them to know that you need help and come looking for you is unreasonable.

I also think that it would be unreasonable if an elderly couple had to go round the hospital knocking on enough doors in the hope that they knocked on the right door. I don't know about all elderly people but both my parents barely manage to walk the length of one corridor in the hospital, never mind expecting them to go searching for the right person.