From left to right: Barry McVeigh, Citizens Advice, Phyllis Nellins, Macmillan/CAB Welfare Rights Adviser, Alayne Kinver, Citizens Advice, Simon Hamilton MLA, Chair of DSD Committee, Mick McAtavey, Director of Belfast CAB, Siobhan Muldoon, Citizens Advice and Michele Campbell, Macmillan/CAB Welfare Rights Adviser
The DSD Committee today visited the Macmillan/CAB Welfare Rights Project based at the Belfast City Hospital. Since July 2009 the partnership between Citizens Advice and Macmillan Cancer Support has developed with staff located at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast City Hospital and most recently at the Mater Hospital. The Macmillan Welfare Rights Advisers at the three hospitals saw 1,940 new clients during the year 2009/10 and identified over £2.3 million of money back for clients.
The Committee members were welcomed to the Macmillan Support and Information Centre by Geoff Hill, Co-Director of Cancer and Specialist Services at the Belfast Trust. Geoff opened the event by saying “what a difference it has made having CAB in this building.”
Committee members were also given details of the independent evaluation of the Welfare Benefits service undertaken by KPMG. The strengths of the service were shown to be the partnership between Macmillan and CAB and the commitment of the staff working on the project. The consensus among service users is that their experience of the service was very positive and all users placed great trust in the dedicated advisers. All of the service users would recommend the service to others and this was seen to be “no greater affirmation of a job well done.” KPMG also highlighted to the Committee members that the key to the sustainability of the service is the ability to secure future funding streams.
Michele Campbell, a Macmillan/CAB Welfare Rights Adviser then spoke to the Assembly Members about her work and her experiences in dealing with clients. Michele said: “The biggest part of the service is relieving the stress for cancer sufferers. Often people are not responding to treatment as they are too stressed out about their finances. We help them and then they can concentrate on getting well.”
A service user then informed the Committee members of her own personal experiences of using the service. She had left work to care for her mother who had been diagnosed with cancer and then she herself was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the illness. She talked about her personal feelings of being ashamed about getting into financial difficulty, about being frightened and being totally unaware of the benefits available to her. She felt emotionally and physically exhausted, embarrassed and she suffered in silence – something she would not wish on anyone. She was put in contact with Michele at the Macmillan/CAB Welfare Rights project and is now recovering thanks to the help she received from CAB and Macmillan. She said: “All cancer patients need this service. People like me need to know there are people like Michele and this service.”
Chair of the Social Development Committee, Simon Hamilton MLA said: “The Committee is very happy to endorse the work of Macmillan Cancer Support and the Citizens Advice Bureau through the Information Centre to ensure that those affected by cancer get the benefits that they are entitled to."
From left to right: David Hilditch MLA, Mick McAtavey, Director Belfast CAB, Siobhan Muldoon, Citizens Advice, Billy Armstrong, MLA, Heather Monteverde, Macmillan Cancer Support, Michele Campbell, Macmillan/CAB Welfare Rights Adviser, Simon Hamilton MLA, Phyllis Nellins, Macmillan/CAB Welfare Rights Adviser, Mickey Brady MLA and Jonathan Craig MLA