private helathcare on dmp

PM22

Hi,
Will I be allowed to pay for a private psychiatrist monthly on a dmp on Step Change?
I have bipolar disorder which is best managed by frequent care which is not available on NHS.

I used to pay for a private psychiatrist on my last dmp but that was with PayPlan who agreed it with all creditors 
but I hear Step Change are stricter.

I could go NHS, get ill, get out of work and they''ll get nothing instead but then I'll lose my flat. My ex is paying half my mortgage so I 
can pay the psychiatrist......difficult to explain 

Will they see this as a luxury?

GentleGiant01

Unfortunately I don’t have the answer to your question, but is there anyone who you can speak to that will help you manage Bipolar to help prevent you having to go through a DMP again? 

I appreciate Bipolar and impulsive spending can go hand in hand so they should allow you to keep up the treatment - but please speak to your stepchange advisor and see if there is some way to prevent you being able to easily take out credit during an episode to protect yourself. 

I really hope that there is some support out there for you! 

PM22

Thank you for your reply. This will be my third dmp covering 18 years of debt. 

sourcrates

With regard to your question -

"Will I be allowed to pay for a private psychiatrist monthly on a dmp on Step Change ?"

A DMP is a very informal arrangement, there are no rules or regulations to abide by.

Stepchange only require that you treat each creditor fairly, If its something you need, you just add it, you don`t go looking for any 3rd party permission, you put the cost of it in the essentials category, by all means give them an explanation if you wish, but this should never become an issue.

Lets get one thing clear, Stepchange, and Payplan offer good, free debt advice, but when they run your DMP for you, they simply act as a go between, a 3rd party that distributes your payment, that is basically the extent of their remit, they are supposed to be working for you, so you must be clear what you want from the arrangement, you are allowed a voice, and you can disagree with them.

If push comes to shove, just do it yourself, and go self managed, they don`t do anything that you cannot do,  the only difference is you pay your creditors individually instead of just one payment to Stepchange.

It gives you much more freedom and control.

PM22

Thank you for your reply. I did think about doing it myself but I cannot calculate what to pay to whom as I am terrible at Maths and with financial things

sourcrates

PM22 said:

Thank you for your reply. I did think about doing it myself but I cannot calculate what to pay to whom as I am terrible at Maths and with financial things

That shouldn`t be a barrier to you, take what disposable income you have left, that`s the amount left over once your essential bills have been paid, and simply divide that number times the number of creditors you have, you must have a calculator somewhere ?

That is the easy way to do things, I know the debt charities insist on a payment equal to a percentage of the outstanding debt, but you don`t have to do things that way.

Self management is pretty much as things were in the beginning, except the payment you make will be affordable, and decided by you.

PM22

How much is roughly allowed for;

- dentistry?
- hairdressing?

I don't have any subscriptions or Netflix or tv channels but I would like a budget for the above if possible 

Rob5342

Debt management plans are informal, there aren'y any rules. The only consideration you should have when making a budget is arriving at a payment that is realistic and sustainable, you then pay your creditors that amount. It doesn't matter whether they like it or not, that's all you can pay them. I was with Stepchange and I'm self managing now and there have been no problems with my budget at all. Most of them asked me if I was sure that the amount I was offering was sustainable, but none of them questioned the amount I was paying for things.

fatbelly

There's a calculator here (plus loads of other resources) so don't let the maths put you off.

https://nedcab.cabmoney.org.uk/quickfs.asp

PM22

I started with Step Change in April and they are collecting the first Token Payment Plan payment on 1st August.

Meanwhile I have received court papers from a pay day loan company....do I pass them on to Step Change?
Meanwhile, my mental health is deteriorating.... I should've done it myself to avoid the court papers at least.
I did reply to them and they did say I can send in some paperwork to prove I'm working with Step Change....so 
maybe that might halt the court stuff before I have a nervous breakdown 

sourcrates

No you don`t pass court papers to anyone, you will need to deal with it, and you only have a narrow window of time in which to so so, if you acknowledge service online, you get extra time to submit your defence, 28 days in total I believe.

Is it an actual claim form, or just a letter with the threat of legal action ?

Debt Camel explains the process here -

What to do if you get a Claim from the county court about a debt (debtcamel.co.uk)