by Jenni Horn

jhorn@thekmgroup.co.uk

Cancer patients can experience huge money worries as they battle the disease.

Many sufferers struggle to cope with paying bills as they take time off work and the added cost of travel expenses to receive treatment.

To help combat the problem, KentOnline and the Medway Messenger's charity of the year, Macmillan Cancer Support, has teamed up with Medway Council to offer a welfare benefits advice service.

The initiative, the first of its kind in the Towns, is a partnership with NHS Medway, which will enable cancer patients facing financial hardship to receive the support to which they are entitled.

The service was officially launched at Medway Council's offices in Chatham but it has already helped almost 300 patients to receive a total of £150,000 in benefits since September last year.

Macmillan welfare benefits manager Jo Brown said: "People affected by cancer tell us that money worries are a close second to the anxiety caused by their diagnosis.

"Cancer has a massive impact on your finances.

"Often people are left wondering how they are going to pay the mortgage, the rising heating bills or cover new expenses such as trips to hospital and car parking charges."

The new service includes drop-in sessions, a dedicated telephone advice line and home visits.

Specialist advisers are able to act as advocates for their clients and offer practical information and help.

Rose Collinson, director of children and adults for Medway Council, said: "We have listened to the strong and serious concerns from cancer patients about finances and this vital benefits advice service is an important response.

"The launch of this service represents a vital step forward in our support for cancer patients in Medway.

"We do not want them to be blighted by financial hardship."

For more on Macmillan Cancer Relief see our special report

One cancer patient who has been helped by the service is Mark Major.

The 58-year-old, of Lonsdale Drive, Rainham, was first diagnosed with cancer in 2007. Mr Major had surgery and remained clear of the disease for three years.

But in August last year he was given the devastating news that his cancer had returned and this time it was terminal.

Mr Major has had to give up his job as a carpenter, putting a huge financial strain on him and his wife Lorraine, who also had to give up work after surgery for breast cancer last year.

They were given help from Macmillan welfare advisers to apply for incapacity benefit.

He said: "Last time I had to get the form myself and I couldn't make head nor tail of it. This time around, a Macmillan adviser came with the forms and did everything for me. I didn't have to fill in any forms, all the trouble was taken out of it."

Lorraine said: "Macmillan have helped us enormously. I've now get a carer's allowance to look after Mark and he gets the benefits he's entitled to.

"We don't know how long Mark has got, but receiving financial help has been a huge weight off our minds."