My name's Kathy Cunningham Elliott, and I manage the Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridge Macmillan Benefits Advice Service. We provide specialist benefits advice, support, and information to cancer patients and their families. A cancer diagnosis can have a profound impact on you and your family, including financial effects. You might be working and need to reduce your hours or stop work for treatment. Your partner might also provide support and care, which could affect their working hours. On top of that, you may have additional costs, such as traveling back and forth to the hospital. Because of these costs, it’s important to seek advice about the financial support available to you and your family.
We understand that the benefits system is complicated. There are many benefits, each with its own rules. Some are based on income and savings, some on national insurance contributions, and some on how a long-term condition or illness affects your daily life. It’s important to remember that a diagnosis alone is not enough to qualify, and everyone’s situation is different. You might have heard stories from friends, family, or colleagues about their experience with benefits, which could have been positive or negative, but that doesn’t mean your experience will be the same. That’s why it’s essential to get individual advice from a specialist benefits advisor.
When someone comes to our service, we explore all the benefits they and their family may be entitled to. We also look at other forms of financial support, such as grants, checking eligibility for a Blue Badge, help with health costs, and ensuring access to free prescriptions. We understand that this might be the first time you’ve had to consider claiming benefits, but we support you and your family through the entire process. It doesn’t matter if you are working, retired, self-employed, or a carer; our advice is always tailored to your individual circumstances.
We usually provide support at the hospital by appointment on a weekly basis, but we also offer support by phone or email. You can also ask your nurse specialist to make a referral to our service. However you decide to contact us, don’t delay—seek advice as soon as possible. We look forward to helping you.
