Hi,
I have a friend who’s recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. Is there anything she can get for free whilst under treatment please?
like prescriptions, dentistry, opticians, wigs, tattoo make up?
apologies if posted in the wrong place. Or if there’s anywhere where I can find entitlements for her
many thanks
Hello
Thanks for getting in touch. I’m sorry to hear about your friend’s diagnosis but hope that we’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
Firstly, your friend may be able to claim state benefits to help if she is off work for any length of time or has care needs. For this, I’d recommend she speaks to a benefits adviser to see if she is eligible for any help. We have benefits advisers available on the support line – 0808 808 0000, followed by Option1, then 2 and 2 again. The team is available Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and at the weekend 9am to 5pm. For her call, she would need to have details of her income from all sources and outgoings, such as mortgage or rent, council tax and utility providers so they can do an assessment for her.
Our benefits advisers can also help with free prescriptions - here is a link to further information about this on our website. On this link, you can also research whether she might be able to get help with other health costs, such as wigs and dental treatment.
Your friend may also be allocated a Macmillan nurse, or a Breast Care nurse at the hospital who will be able to confirm the help available at the hospital or locally.
I hope this helps to start with? If there are any other areas relating to personal finance, such as paying a mortgage or claiming on an insurance policy that your friend would appreciate a chat about, we’d be happy to hear from her by phone, or on here, or on webchat by clicking ‘Chat to Us’ at the bottom right of the screen.
Kind regards.
Julia
Financial Guide
Remember you can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or by email.
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