Here at Self Help UK, we have a Deaf Advocacy Officer.
Their role involves supporting Deaf people who have cancer.
Maybe you’re facing barriers to accessing services?
The Advocacy Officer will discuss the situation with you, find out what the issues are and provide 1-2-1 advocacy support.
The support on offer could include arranging video-call meetings to advocate on your behalf, or writing letters or emails for you.
Perhaps you want to send a formal letter of complaint to your hospital, because you’re not satisfied with the service you’ve received from them and you’re not happy about what’s happened.
You can address your complaint to PALS [Patient Advice and Liaison Service], or the CCG [Clinical Commissioning Group] or your local Health Watch group.
The Advocacy Officer can also support you with applying for benefits.
Sometimes when a person who’s in paid employment receives a cancer diagnosis, it can have a negative effect on their financial situation, due to them not being able to work.
The Advocacy Officer can support you in finding out what benefits you are entitled to, and in accessing financial support.
They can support you with reporting a change of circumstances in your Universal Credit claim, your PIP [Personal Independence Payment] claim, or your ESA [Employment and Support Allowance] claim.
If you have any other problems in accessing services, or if there’s a service that Self Help UK cannot provide, we can signpost you to other service providers, to ensure you receive the support you are entitled to.
Self Help UK has an Advocacy Officer who can advocate on your behalf on issues with your healthcare, such as communication/accessibility issues. They can help you with writing letters or emails on your behalf to your hospital’s PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) service or to your local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). If you are experiencing issues with your healthcare, let us know and we will set up a one-to-one conversation with you via video call and go from there. We can also sign post you to other services that may be of help to you.
Self Help UK can also help with some benefits – email us for information on this.
