Cancer patients' financial burden must be addressed - Brooke

11.19.31am GMT Tue 6th Feb 2007

Organisations such as MacMillan help tackle the financial burden placed on local cancer patients

Annette Brooke MP has given her support to tackling the financial burden faced by local cancer patients and their families.

Speaking after a meeting with local Macmillan staff to discuss issues affecting cancer patients in the area, Annette Brooke MP said:

"There are clearly many people living with cancer in this constituency who are suffering financial hardship as a result of their diagnosis. That is why I applaud the work Macmillan is doing to highlight this issue and back their call for people recently diagnosed with cancer should be offered specialist benefits advice to ensure they and their families get the money to which they are entitled.

"It is unacceptable that over half of people with terminal cancer are not getting benefits that are rightfully theirs, either because they don't know they can claim, or because of the complexity of the system."

Jeff Faulkner, Director of Macmillan Cancer Support in Central and South West England and Wales, said:

"I was delighted to meet Annette Brooke MP and thank her for helping to raise awareness of this vitally important issue. It is quite wrong that so many cancer patients and their families have to worry about finances at the point they need to concentrate on their health.

"One simple way to ease the financial burden on cancer patients would be to ensure patients undergoing treatment are exempt from all hospital parking charges and for hospitals to properly advertise their hospital travel costs schemes to cancer patients. In addition to this, we are encouraging people to take part in the current survey about the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme to improve the way in which it is promoted to NHS staff and patients."

People with cancer who are worried about money can call Macmillan's free campaign hotline on 0808 500 800, log onto www.macmillan.org.uk/betterdeal, or discuss it with their doctor, nurse, or local Citizen's Advice Bureau. Cancer patients can take part in the online survey about the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme by visiting www.dh.gov.uk and clicking Policy and Guidance then Policy A-Z then H and selecting Hospital Travel Costs Scheme.