A rant....why does a hospital visit cost so much???

[battybird]

Hi
Apologies to all but I am going to rant!!! My husband has to go to a London Hospital tomorrow for 7.30am...not the easiest time when you live 70 miles away! I am grateful that he is getting treatment (it had to go to the PCT for approval as it is an expensive treatment) BUT...the train will cost nearly £90 for us both (peak time) there are no coaches at this time (we need to leave about 5am). The nearest carpark is about £35 for the day and there is no parking at the hospital. The congestion charge has to be paid...we have not got a blue badge and even if we did it seems we have to get something special for this area...not enough notice of the appointment. Not many disabled spots anyway. I dont know whether he will be fit to go back on the train (unlikely!) and hospital transport will not take me as well as him!! Even if they felt we qualified on medical need...which is uncertain as he only has a brain tumour and can walk! So ....I have to drive...and hope there is a space...at least at the early hour there is a chance! There is loads of financial help for those on the right benefits but my husband was self employed so we cannot get this. This week we also had to go to another hospital 50 miles away (at least the parking was only £4 for the day!) and he has a further three appointments at this hospital in the next three weeks as well as two further london appointments!
I dont know what the answer is but if a (fairly) intellegent person has trouble arranging this, I wonder how someone less able would cope?? The health issues are bad enough but the logistics of the various appointments and the cost involved is enough to make anyone cry!!
How on earth do others cope??

[Milims]

I do wonder sometimes about our health "care" system. They really don't seem to treat people, just symptoms. I hope that tomorrow goes well and isn't too stressful.

[Nomada]

No decent advice sorry, I just want to comiserate. It's hard enough isn't it without all that crap. Best of luck to you both.

[Millymollymandy]

Lots of hugs from me too. I suppose it's not something you think about until it happens to you but now you've got me thinking, what if he was single and had no-one to drive him, then what would the hospital do about looking after him/getting him home and also why are hospital appointments always at stupid O'clock in the morning!!!

Hope everything goes OK and that you cope OK, driving into London is not what you need on top of everything else.

[Green Aura]

Wish him well for tomorrow - it's always a logistical nightmare doing anything in London - I have no idea why anyone would want to live there these days - but especially stressful things like hospital appointments. Is it still the Royal Marsden that specialises in this sort of thing? I've completely lost touch.

to you both. Hope all goes as you want it to.

[oldjerry]

I wouldn't presume to give you advice,but I can tell you what we did in a similar situation.I've always been self - employed,7 years ago my second daughter became ill,we were 200 miles from Bristol childrens hospital,and hhad to travel there every friday for 19 weeks plus 20 miles to Truro every tuesday.I simply didn't have enough money,and the time taken from working as a gardener was losing customers.I dont do the benefits thing,but had no choice.When I explained to the office in PZ they were really helpful.It was a huge weight off my shoulders,and eventually I set up as self employed again.Hope all goes well,don't forget the system may be lousy,but the doctors are damn good.Best Wishes. Jerry.

[becks77]

Really hope your visit went OK
We live in SE too and have found driving to the outskirts of London where the parking is cheaper and get a tube, works ok, not ideal though

[battybird]

Hi
Thanks for the support everyone. All back safely! Not too bad except that St Barts is well hidden in central London! Had new fashion accessory fitted (see picture!!) , gamma knife radiotherapy given and frame removed. Now wait for two years to find out if tumour has decided to stop growing! Got lost coming out of London which was pretty stressful, but got out in the end! Train or tube would not have been a good option as we had no idea if he would be walking wounded or not...also the sister on the ward said she would possibly have had him stay overnight rather than go by train so that would have involved even more cost for me!!
Becks...we do park at Eltham usually when we go to Kings and go in by train from there but this appointment needed me to be nearer!
Jerry; hope all is well with your daughter now..you are right the doctors and treatment is good and not having to worry about the cost is a huge relief!
Still got several other hospitals to visit in next few months, and just heard that Dave will get sickness benefit at long last...were told 3yrs ago that he did not qualify ...and I believed them until I searched myself and talked to someone else Backdated three months which all helps, and actually it is amazing how far money can go when needs must! Got great harvest and we can live on just beans tomatoes and courgettes ....maybe!! There are loads worse off than us..at least I can work and get sick pay while I am off at the moment!
Feel better now..so will stop whingeing!!

[JessieMac]

I'm sorry if this is no use but I'm not too clear on the distances involved but sometimes it is cheaper in the long run to get a taxi or hire car and driver and you don't have all the stress of leaving in the middle of the night and rushing from one kind of transport to another when you are worried about how hospital treatments are going to go.We have done this in the past and if you agree a price with the company at least you know the end figure..............Jessica

[battybird]

Hi Jessica...£100 each way minimum...and waiting time as we were 12 hrs and could have been much more....sort of put it out of our price bracket...did it for local hospital once but friends will often take us there. Good thought though. Hospital transport for him on his own was really the only other alternative, but he was scared and wanted company!!

[Big Al]

I'm glad things seemed to go well for you and yours. I was petrified of the tunnel when I had my mri scans but this was all at a local hospital. As you say you can get by if you have to and there are people worse off than you ( and I ) but when it hits home to people on a personal level it just shows how vunerable we all are even when we live in the fourth richest country in the world.

On the other side I asked my GP for some mri scans on my back. I got a phone call to go in for them after 8 days, they found something they didn't like so took me in for more mri's the next day, A CT scan followed 2 days later and all clear was given 12 hours after the CT scan. A follow up scan 12 months later confirmed the first all clear. That was in 2001. 4 weeks ago and my wife found a lump in her breast. Went to GP who said she will be phoned within 12 hours. She was given an appontment the next day, a saturday for a breast scan and biopsy. A consultation with a specialist was for the following day. The all clear was given then.

No this was not private insurance and all that but the Good old NHS. Labour got a lot of kickings for the NHS but I have nothing but praise for the set up that we have now but I do fear with this coillition...

[Big Al]

If Dave is now classed as disabled then get a claim in for DLA, Disabillity living Allowance. There is the motorbillity component and also the care component. You may be entitled to either or both components. If Dave gets care at middle or higher rate then you can qualify as a carer and get around £55 per week for caring as well as the care component. If you work this is means tested, in other words if you earn £45 a week then your care allowance is only £10 PW. If you earn more than the £55 per week then you will get nothing for your care allowance. However this benefit, even if you don't get any money entitles you to a pension of £35 per week now for when you retire.
You don't get the £35 now but £35 per week is put into a pension pot for when you retire.

Of course then you can apply for the blue badge and also the trains do a disabled discount card which currently is £18 for one year or £48 for 3 years and this gives you 33% of all fairs for the disabled person and a second person as a carer. Mine has just ran out but using that for a year just to go up the tracks to see our son saved us over £48 - the £18 for the ticket.

Finally if the DSS has said Dave is now entitled to Incap and have given you 3 months back money then, assuming Daves circumstanses haven't changed you can challenge this and claim the 3 years back money. Not a lot of people know this little gem so check this out and go to the CAB for advice and help to claim it back.

Also don't forget that if you change your house in any way to care for a disabled person such as a new / second bathroom or kitchen etc then you can apply for a council tax downgrading of one level, thus if you are band C then you will pay Band B council tax. If you are band A then you will get a reduction which I can't remember fully but i think it's 5/12ths reduction of the Band A cost. A lot of councils will put it through automatically if you tell them you use a wheelchair but be aware they have the right to do un nounced visits to check you have the wheelchair and you use it.


AND............. if you are needing hospital visits then you can apply to the DSS for hardship funds which is a loan system that lets you pay back the advances they give you over a good few weeks. Also check out if you are entitled to any of the other "gateway" benefits such as working tax credits, housing benefits etc as these can also get you help with hospital transport costs.
HTH


Big Al

[StripyPixieSocks]

I second what Al says plus the fact you can claim back the fees of travelling from the hospital if you provide proof of any benefits he receives! My OH is doing just that next week when going up to Truro to get tests done on his lungs!

If he has a blue badge he can also get a free bus pass on application (usually done at a local library) I have one due to the fact I cannot walk very far and have back / leg problems which make it extremely painful to walk...

HUGE hugs to you and your partner xx

[oldjerry]

Totally agree with all of the above,Incapacity Benefit is now called E.S.A. oyu automatically get it if signed off by the G.P.Check out your eligibility for Council tax benefit .unless you have piles of cash in a bank account,you,ll probably get 100% CT relief.As Big Al says, go to the CAB( they are on your side,and they know all this stuff).Glad you got through a difficult day,Best Wishes.

[Millymollymandy]

I can't read half of that it sounds even more complicated than French red tape! but I'm pleased for you and hubby that yesterday is over and hope that the treatment will help him, and glad you are getting the benefits that you deserve.