Supporting your patients' benefits claims: updated guidance for health and care professionals

As a health or care professional supporting people with Parkinson’s, you may be asked to provide evidence to back up your patients’ benefits claims. Your professional opinion and experience matters and your statement could be the difference between your patient receiving crucial financial support to live well or not.

Our Clinical Leadership Team has identified the need for additional guidance to help health and care professionals become familiar with the different types of benefits patients can claim and what to include in their supporting statements.

In our guide, you can find key points and example statements to support claims for:

• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit (UC)
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Adult Disability Payment (ADP) for people in Scotland.

Camille Carroll, Joint Clinical Director of the Parkinson’s UK Excellence Network, said:

‘’Supporting people with Parkinson’s to navigate the complexities of the benefits system is a key part of our role as Parkinson’s clinicians. People living with the condition often make applications at times when their symptoms have worsened, and they are particularly vulnerable.

‘’Benefit application processes are complex and applications are often unsuccessful. The reports that we provide in support can be instrumental in smoothing the path. This resource provides simple guidance on what to include and why it is important; using it will help us make a real difference to people’s lives.’’