Benefits and Money Clinic

We believe that making sure nobody loses their family home because of their diagnosis is essential to achieving our goal of halving the harm done by brain tumours. Our advisors can now offer expert guidance on:

• renegotiating payments with your mortgage provider
• taking a payment holiday
• making a claim against any insurances or critical illness cover.

Depending on the grade of your tumour, receiving a brain tumour diagnosis may mean you’re able to retire on ill health grounds and make an early claim on your pension. We can help you examine your current pension provisions and explore the options available to you. You can also get a direct referral to the Citizens Advice Bureau’s Pension Wise service, which offers appointments across the UK.

We can provide information on the various schemes that provide support with utility bills and services, including:

• warm home discount schemes
• the Priority Service Register (a free service that ensures vulnerable customers are prioritised if there are interruptions to supply and, most importantly, ensures their energy supply cannot be disconnected)
• potentially having water bills capped if a diagnosis mean you need to use extra water
• ensuring you get the best deal available from your existing energy supplier and helping you switch to a new provider if necessary.

Everybody is entitled to a free assessment from their local council’s social services department to identify:

• their care needs at home
• whether they may need hospice care
• the needs of the person caring for them.

Based on the assessment, you may be entitled to use social care services, be eligible for financial assistance or qualify for free care equipment. If you’re living with long-term complex health needs, you may qualify for free social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS. This is known as NHS continuing care.

We can help you self-refer for this assessment (if you haven’t been offered one already) and support you through the process

If you have a child who’s living with a brain tumour, we can advise on the help and support that’s available. Often, they’ll be eligible for help and support from Children’s Services. As their parent or carer, you may also be entitled to support to help alleviate some of the stresses associated with caring for a seriously ill child.

We can provide general advice on setting up a Power of Attorney for health and financial issues. The necessary forms are available online but can seem a bit daunting, so we’re here to guide you through the process and hopefully save you the costs associated with appointing a solicitor.

Making sure a Power of Attorney is in place sooner rather than later can have huge cost savings, as it negates the need to apply for a Court of Protection or Receivership at a later date, should a loved one lose capacity.

We can also provide general financial assistance to help you maximise your income and minimise expenditure, including practical help with budgeting and financial management.