How to increase your income / reduce your expenditure as... patient / carer:

How to increase your income / reduce your expenditure as a cancer
patient / carer:
Try to plan ahead if you can and think about what your income and spending is and how this
will be affected if you have to have time off work. This may be difficult or something that you
put off doing but it can help make things easier at a later date and possibly prevent financial
difficulties arising.
Check your insurance policies / mortgage cover as to whether you are covered for ill health /
critical illness.
Speak to your Clinical Nurse Specialist to see whether you are able to pay a reduced rate
for car parking or for free. Some patients may also be able to access the hospital transport
scheme. You may also be able to qualify for a blue badge parking permit – check with your
local authority.
As a cancer patient you should be eligible for free prescriptions.
1. Have a benefits review
This is key. You may be entitled to money, even if you think you are not. Some entitlements
are not means tested – so if you meet the criteria you will receive them whether you have
savings / income (pensions/ wage) or not. One thing that people sometimes forget is that if
you do qualify for some benefits, they can entitle you to other schemes / services.
Please do not be put off having a benefits review. It could help pay for other things that may
make things more comfortable for you – for instance a taxi instead of waiting for hospital
transport.
There are lots of organisations locally who offer help in completing the forms too. (Contact
your Clinical Nurse Specialist for more information about where these organisations
are).
Date Published: July 2012
Review Date: June 2013
2. Reducing household bills – gas / water / electricity etc
Switch payment method / or switch tarriff
Changing payment method can make it easier to manage your energy bills. Also don’t forget
that you may be able to reduce your energy bills if you shop around for a better deal for your
energy.
Winter fuel payments
For winter 2011/12, winter fuel payments of up to £200 are paid to people over the age of
60. Those over 80 can claim £300. For a claim form or more information contact the Winter
Fuel Payment hotline on 08459 15 15 15.
Ask whether you are eligible, as a cancer patient, or carer of a cancer patient, for the
“Warm Home Discount (WHD)”. This is a new scheme funded by energy suppliers. It
came into force on 1 April 2011 and will provide approx £1.13 billion in direct and indirect
financial support to vulnerable energy consumers over the next four years. The WHD
replaces social tariffs and voluntary arrangements previously offered by energy suppliers.
The following companies are part of this scheme but if your supplier is not listed below
check with them as they may recently have joined.
British Gas / Scottish Gas / Sainsbury’s Energy
EDF Energy
E.ON Energy
npower
Scottish and Southern Energy / Atlantic / Scottish Hydro / SSE / Southern
Electric / SWALEC / Ebico (EquiPower and EquiDual) / M&S Energy
o ScottishPower
o
o
o
o
o
You can contact either the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012 or the Home Heat
Helpline on 0800 336699 (both free phone numbers) for advice on saving energy and grants
and schemes available to help make your home warmer and save you money. You may
also be eligible through the Warm Front Scheme (0800 316 2805) but need to be in receipt
of certain benefits – another reason to have a benefit review.
Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice are making people aware of the following 5 top tips if
they fall behind with their bills:
•
•
•
•
•
Always contact your energy supplier as soon as you realise you might have trouble
with paying. Debts will build-up and be harder to pay off the longer you leave them.
Your supplier has a responsibility to help you if you have problems paying your bill.
Tell your energy firm what you can afford to pay – they have to take this into account
in agreeing repayments of the money you owe.
Ask your energy company, your local Citizens Advice Bureau or call the Home Heat
Helpline 0800 33 66 99 to find out about other free energy help available. For
example you could qualify for a discount off your bill or free insulation to help your
home stop leaking heat and cut your bills.
Even if you are in debt you may still be able to switch to a cheaper deal with your
current supplier, especially if you pay by cash, cheque or pre-payment meter. If you
pay by pre-payment meter and have less than £200 of debt you can also switch to a
cheaper deal with another supplier.
Financial help is available which could make it easier to afford your bills – check you
are receiving all of the benefits and tax credits you are entitled to by getting in touch
with your local Citizens Advice Bureau or visiting www.adviceguide.org.uk
If you get into difficulties
A supplier has to make all reasonable attempts to help you pay your bill before considering
disconnection. It must not disconnect consumers in winter (1 October - 31 March) if:
• they are pensioners who are disabled or chronically sick
• they are pensioners and live alone or only with other pensioners or children under 18
Your energy company has to help you to repay the amount owed at a rate that’s affordable
to you. The customer service contact details for different energy companies are below:
• British Gas Tel: 0800 048 0202
• EDF Energy Tel: 0800 096 9000
• E.ON Tel: 0845 059 9905
• npower Tel: 0845 070 4851 (monthly direct debit) 0845 070 4850 (cash, cheque or
quarterly direct debit customers) 0845 070 4853 (pre-payment meter customer)
• SSE Group Tel: 0845 7444 555 (SSE and Southern Electric) 0845 300 2141
(Scottish Hydro) 0800 052 5252 (SWALEC) 0845 073 3030 (Atlantic)
• Scottish Power Tel: 0845 270 0700
• Co-operative Energy Tel: 0800 954 0693
• Ebico Tel: 0800 458 7689
• Ecotricity Tel: 0845 555 7100 (domestic customers)
• First Utility Tel: 0845 215 5000
• Good Energy Tel: 0845 601 14104
• Green Energy Tel: 0800 783 8851
• Ovo Tel: 0800 5996 4440
• Spark Energy Tel: 0845 034 7474
• Utilita Tel: 0845 450 4357
• Utility Warehouse Tel: 0844 815 7777
United Utilities - are assisting those clients who are struggling to pay their water bills by
transferring them onto a lower tariff. At present Clients cannot be home owners and have to
be on a qualifying benefit. They can be contacted on 0845 3094095 – payments assistance
team.
3. Possible grant funding – there will be others:
Some examples of grant funding that may be available to you:
Denny Fund (for brain tumour patients). The maximum £500 which can be used against
any debts / purchase of white goods or towards a holiday.
Carer’s grants – “Time for Me” Grant (check that your local carers organisation offers this –
it is not available in the Blackpool area) – offers up to £350 to be spent on yourself.
Macmillan grants – speak to Macmillan (0808 808 00 00 - go through their helpline)
Social fund grants - When you are on a low income, it is very difficult to budget for
emergency expenses, funeral costs, the costs of a new baby or one-off payments for large
items, such as furnishing a home. You could also be in a situation where you have no
money coming in at all. There is money available for these situations, although it is limited.
Community care grants
Community care grants are intended to help with expenses so that people can live in the
community and families can stay together. Community care grants are discretionary, which
means that even if you are eligible you will only get one if the benefit office decides that your
need is important and there is enough money left in the district Social Fund budget.
Community care grants do not have to be repaid, so you should always check if you are
eligible to claim one when you have expenses you cannot meet.
If you have internet access the following sites may be of assistance:
Macmillan Cancer Support
http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx
Directgov – list of lots of public sector resources
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm
Citizen’s Advice Bureau
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm
Also see the attached diagram – there may be other areas that you haven’t thought about
where you are entitled to credit / reductions / access other services to support you.
Housing
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Mortgage – arrears
Insurance
Tenant
Re-housing
Rent arrears
Gardening
Adaptation for disability
Maintenance
Going into residential care
Household bills
Council tax
o
o
o
o
Policies
Credit Agreements
Welfare benefits
Joint property/ investments
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Hair loss
Difficulty swallowing
Sickness
Feeling cold
Weight loss
Weight gain
Difficulty writing
Risk of infection
Incontinence
Pain
Body Image
Loss of speech
Tiredness
Depression
Employment
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Quality of Life
Time off
Occupational Pension
Death in service pay
Unfair dismissal
SSP
Terminate employment
Tax rebate
Industrial disease
Discrimination
Contract of Employment
Self employment
Reduced hours / phased return
Career change
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Blue Badge scheme
Holiday/convalescence
Motability Scheme
Aids and adaptations
National Key Scheme
Telephone
Support Groups
Communication
Respite care
Equipment (OT)
Treats
Loss of speech
Liquid diet
Financial and Legal
LONG TERM ILLNESS AND
POSIBLE CONCERNS
Side Effects
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Family and Personal
Partner / spouse
Child Care
Helping children cope
Dependant parents
Friends and work colleagues
Pets
Fertility costs
Death and Dying
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Funeral costs
Memorial stone
Will
Grant of Probate
Letters of administration
Guardianship
Marriage (invalidates earlier will)
Responsibility for children
Responsibility for debts
Power of attorney
Planning a funeral
Insurance Protection
Check if insured for:
o Mortgage
o Credit Cards
o Loans
o Medical costs
o Inpatient /day patient
o Holiday
(Adapted from source Macmillan Voice - Summer 2006)