Cancer family 'financially broken' by benefits wait

Families of children and young people with cancer are struggling financially for several months waiting for benefits to help cover extra costs caused by the illness, according to a charity.

Young Lives vs Cancer says families need "immediate" help with additional living costs, which amount to £700 a month on average - and is calling for quicker access to the funds.

One family has said they were left "financially broken" by the extra living costs after their 16-year-old son Oliver's leg had to be amputated because he had a rare type of cancer.

The government says it is committed to giving people access to benefits in a "timely manner", but acknowledges that "waits are too high".

Kerry Bolton, from Solihull, said she had to wait five months before a decision was made on her benefits application after her son Oliver was diagnosed with cancer, aged 16.

"The hospital is an hour away from us and I don't drive. It was costing us £48 a day for us to travel in taxis there and back."

Oliver later underwent a leg amputation, meaning his family had to buy new clothes to fit him.

They also faced higher electricity bills to charge his prosthetic leg, Ms Bolton said.

"Ollie's leg needs electricity...if I don't have electricity, he can't walk."

Ms Bolton said she also had to use more energy to heat her home to keep Oliver warm, because of his immunosuppression treatment.

During a child's cancer treatment, families may need to travel to distant appointments, buy special food, use more electricity and heating, pay for childcare for siblings, and stay in hotels.

Under UK law, cancer patients may be entitled to benefits to help with costs.

However, patients are not eligible for financial support until they have been ill for three months.

They then face a further wait of four months on average for their application to be assessed, according to Young Lives vs Cancer, which has interviewed hundreds of patients and put out a new report.

The charity is calling for families to qualify for benefits immediately following a diagnosis.