Hi, my name is amanda82!

amanda82

I have had a new medical diagnosis and not sure if I can carry on working as I’m in so much pain right now.

I have never not had a job and never claimed any benefits before so don’t know where to start.

can anyone help me please?

L_Volunteer

Hi @amanda82

Welcome to Scope's forum. It is great to see you have joined us. How are you today?

What a great question! In all honesty, it is not an area of my expertise. This means I can only hope someone with more knowledge in this area is able to respond to you soon.

In the meantime, I just wanted to respond to greet you and let you know that we hear you and are here for you. Have you been able to talk to anyone else about the pain you are in? 

Thinking of you. Please do just let us know if there's anything else we can do to support you 

amanda82

I talk to my GP all the time.  I do have a Pain Management consultant at the hospital but he is as much use as a chocolate fireguard.  I can never get a hold of him.  The pain meds that I’m on are the highest they can give me and I’ve tried everything under the sun.  I’m at my wits end and my head is all over the place

L_Volunteer

Thanks for your response @amanda82. I do have to say, you made me chuckle with your reference to a chocolate fireguard. How frustrating though! I can imagine why you would be struggling. I am really glad to hear you at least have some support from your GP though. Hopefully, someone on here will be able to respond to you with much more insight than I have been able to! I want you to know that we all care and are here for you though 

Alex_Alumni

Hello @amanda82 thanks for reaching out, I hope you'll find the community a helpful and supportive place.

I'm sorry to hear about the pain you're in. Have you spoken to your GP about a pain management plan following your new diagnosis? Do you feel like you're getting enough support at the moment?

I wonder if you've spoken to your workplace about your condition, and the possibility of flexible working, or reasonable adjustments? Scope has some guidance on reasonable adjustments here.

Additionally, I know that Turn2Us has a benefits calculator which you might find helpful.

If you feel there's anything I've missed or need further help with, please don't hesitate to ask

Alex

amanda82

hi Alex, my GP has told me that he can’t put me on any new meds as I’m maxed out as I have CRPS also.  As I said about pain management - they are useless. I have recently started a new job but they are not as supportive as my last one and there is no room for reasonable adjustments or change of hours.  I’m just so scared of giving up work as I’ve never not worked but after chatting to my GP yesterday I don’t think I have much of a choice.  I have no clue where start or who to contact

poppy123456

Hi,
Your employer must pay you SSP for 28 weeks if you’re entitled to it.
You should never quit your job before getting some expert advice from ACAS. 

If you do go down the SSP route you can look at claiming Universal Credit as well. If you live with a partner you claim as a couple and both your circumstances will be taken into consideration. Use a benefits calculator to check entitlement. You can report your health condition and send in fit notes from your GP.
New Style ESA can be claimed 3 months before the SSP ends but you won’t be paid anything until the SSP ends. You will need your SSP1 form and a fit note to claim this.
If you claim both of those together the ESA will be deducted in full from any UC entitlement.

L_Volunteer

Thanks for your response @amanda82. As you can hopefully see, you are in good hands here! There is always at least one person who can help you navigate things if you want them to. In the meantime, I will just respond again to let you know that we hear you and are here with you. It sounds really difficult but we think you are doing a really good job in reaching out for support today 

Alex_Alumni

Thanks for explaining @amanda82 the earlier comments were posted while I was writing mine, so it's very helpful of you to clarify

I'm really sorry to hear that your new employers aren't supportive, especially since The Equality Act 2010 requires an employer to make reasonable adjustments to enable a disabled person to work. If you have experienced discrimination, you can get help from the EASS helpline.

If you'd find in helpful, Citizens Advice has more information on an employers duty to provide reasonable adjustments.

You might also like to search for an adviser using AdviceLocal. 

I know that anything new can be scary as it's uncertain, and often we tend to focus on the big 'what ifs', which don't help us to feel settled. Starting to work out benefits can be quite daunting, but do make use of the benefits calculator from Turn2Us to start.

Take your time with it, and let us know if you're unsure of anything.

Alex

janer1967

Hi and welcome to the community 

As advised its not a good idea to just quit a job there maybe alternatives like sick leave , medical dismissal for example 

You may not have much entitlement with it being a new job but have a look at the company policy relating to long term sick   and medical dismissal before making any decision 

Ask to be referred to oh for work place assessment they can then suggest what options are available