New team handles benefits for Bassetlaw cancer patients

Macmillan benefits team - part of Bassetlaw Citizens Advice Bureau - navigate the system for patients. They deal directly with the Department for Work and Pensions on their behalf.

Before the NHS was hit with the Covid-19 pandemic Macmillan nurses would working with patients and their families to pick up on money problems and refer them on.

However the vital nurses, whose face-to-face contact with patients has been limited by the virus, are now spending more time helping with Covid-19 patients.

This means more and more cancer patients are left battling to make ends meet during treatment. They are often finding themselves unable to work while undergoing chemo and radiotherapy.

Those off sick long-term are often left to live off statutory sick pay - which can be as little as £95 a week.

However there are benefits available to replace at least some lost income.

Olivia Wright, a welfare case worker for Macmillan benefits team. She is based at the council’s Queens’ Buildings.

She said: “Cancer treatment can have a drastic effect on day-to-day health, which means people can no longer work and most contracts don’t have occupational sick pay these days.

“But we can get benefits put in place in time for when wages run out at a time when it’s difficult for people to claim on their own as there’s a DWP backlog at the moment.”

For patients with a terminal diagnosis Olivia and two other caseworkers are able to take the benefits process completely out of their hands.

Non-terminal patients may have to sign a few forms but the rest is taken care of.

Caseworker Olivia added: “After receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis getting your head around the benefits system can be an impossible task - but we’re happy to do that.”

Because Macmillan nurses are much less visible to cancer sufferers at the moment, workers like Olivia are able to refer them to other charities for emotional support.

She said: “Because we have to ask quite personal questions people tell us a lot about how they’re feeling and we refer them on.

“Macmillan nurses usually pick up the financial stuff and pass it on to the relevant people but that support is not there so much now.”

Macmillan benefits team work closely with Worksop’s Aurora cancer support charity.

The Aurora charity supports cancer patients and their families with everything from counselling to beauty therapy.

It is not clear how long the new system will be in place - Macmillan nurses had started taking clients back but now a second wave of the virus looks likely, the future is ‘unknown’ says Olivia.

She added: “If we can get people coming straight to us we would really like that - whether patients themselves or carers and family members.”

The team are available Monday to Friday 9am-4pm and can be contacted by phoning 07889 726958 or emailing [email protected]

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