Tag Archives: cancer

Widow left to rely on food banks after benefit bosses cut payments

Debbie Hopley’s husband, John, was just 49, when he died from cancer last month

Deborah Hopley from Kirkby holding a picture of her late husband John Hopley.

A widow said she was left reliant on food banks after benefits bosses cut payments and held up funeral bills two days after her husband’s death.

Debbie Hopley’s husband, John, was just 49 when he died on February 11, following a nine-year battle with cancer.

But, in the week between his death and the funeral, Mrs Hopley said she was told the money they and their two children had survived off through his illness was suddenly being stopped.

Former carer ‘stressed’ after being told to leave Victory Housing Trust bungalow in Blakeney

A former carer is concerned he will become homeless

Owen Arundel, who has been told by Victory Housing Trust that he can no longer live at his late grandmother's bungalow at Blakeney. Photo: Karen Bethell Owen Arundel, who has been told by Victory Housing Trust that he can no longer live at his late grandmother’s bungalow at Blakeney. Photo: Karen Bethell

Sophie Wyllie sophie.wyllie@archant.co.uk
Friday, March 7, 2014 9:27 AM

A former carer is concerned he will become homeless following the death of his grandmother whose home he shared.

Owen Arundel, 23, from Hayward Close, Blakeney, was told by Victory Housing Trust to leave because he lived in the two-bedroom property with his relative a few weeks short of the 12- month period in the rules to qualify him to stay.

His grandmother, Janice Arundel, 68, who died in January 20 from cancer, was the tenancy holder and her grandson moved in on February 25 last year to care for her.

RCGP to help GPs support carers

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has been awarded more than £380,000 from the Department of Health to develop a unique online information ‘hub’ to help GPs improve the support and services they provide for carers.

Ingrid Torjesen

Wednesday, 5 March 2014

The hub will collate all the information GPs, primary healthcare staff, practice teams, commissioners and Health & Wellbeing Board representatives might need to identify and support carers, bringing together RCGP resources from the RCGP Supporting Carers in General Practice programme, as well as signposting to external resources.

The hub will have information about the needs of carers, right from the initial diagnosis of the person they are caring for through to resolution of the condition or end of life, with a focus on depression. It will also offer guidance about what questions to ask carers, what rights they have and what support is available. The aim is to link a range of supplementary resources on disease specific conditions including dementia, end of life care, cancer and mental health.