Social work and welfare benefits

Our social workers are here to listen, understand your concerns and provide you and the people close to you with emotional support and practical advice. From supporting you with benefits, housing, or financial matters, to providing advice on will writing and lasting power of attorney.

Supporting you and those close to you

Life can change from the point of a diagnosis for a life-limiting illness, and this can be confusing and overwhelming. You may have lots of questions about the future, or you might just need a space to talk openly about how you are feeling.

Our social workers can help you and the people close to you adjust to your situation by listening to your concerns and understanding what matters most to you. We will work at your pace and be guided by you, so we can answer your questions and give you support that meets your needs.

You might have questions about practical issues like making plans for the future, organising a funeral or talking to your employer about your circumstances. We provide our support online, over the phone, at our hospice in St John’s Wood or by visiting you at home.

What we can offer you

Emotional support helping you and those close to you to adjust to your situation and to have open and honest conversations about your feelings and wishes.
Help with planning funerals and getting help to pay for funeral costs.
Providing supporting statements to employers, universities, or the Home Office.
Applying for food vouchers or other charitable grants.
Advice with planning, for example, basic advice on will writing and lasting power of attorney. We also have access to a free will writing service.
Helping next of kin’s going through anticipatory grief. With access to bereavement support and counselling following the loss of a loved one.
Referrals to other services within the hospice such as the Wellbeing Centre, Inpatient Unit, community care, and Hospice@Home.

Welfare and benefits advice

Finding out what financial support you are entitled to can seem complicated. Our Welfare and Benefits Adviser can help you understand what you can claim and how.

We can help you with:

Finding out what benefits you are entitled to, such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Universal Credit, and Pension Credit. Why not make the most of our Better Off Calculator - a free and easy way to check what benefits you may be entitled to.
Help applying for a Blue Badge, Freedom Pass and other discount travel cards.
Advocating on your behalf for help with housing and other support.

As well as speaking to you one-on-one, we run drop-in sessions at the hospice twice a month where you can ask questions about support you could be entitled to.

Carer support

Caring for a loved one can be challenging if you are juggling caring with work, family or other commitments. Carers often put their loved one’s needs first, which can put a strain on your overall wellbeing.

Our social workers can help with any anxieties or concerns you have and can talk to you about support that is available to you as a carer.

We also have a monthly carers’ group that takes place at the hospice, giving you a safe space to share any worries, or to simply come for a chat and hear from others who are also caring for someone.

Who we support

We recognise that illness does not discriminate - it affects people of all ages, genders and backgrounds, of all faiths and no faith. We care for any person living with a life-limiting illness - including cardiac, respiratory, or renal conditions, HIV, cancer, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's - and at different stages of their illness.

We do not exclude people who might have learning disabilities, a history of mental health or substance use. We can also support you if you have no fixed abode or limited immigration status.

All of the care we provide is completely free of charge and available to anyone aged 18 or over living within our service catchment area.

A mother hugs her two children and kisses the head of her daughter who is sat to her left.

“It’s been such a great help.”

“Even though we live in the area I had never heard about St John's before, so having my nurse specialist make that connection to such local services has been a great help.

My social worker has helped with accessing additional financial support, providing information and advice on immigration and just helping us to adjust to our new normal.”

Radia.

How you can access our support

We welcome referrals for people living with life-limiting illnesses within Westminster. Referrals can be made to us by your GP, hospital doctor, nurse specialist or community nurse or by other professionals working across health and social care services.

If you are a health or social care professional and wish to refer a patient and/or their family members to our services, please download and complete our referral form. The form is available to download below. Please return the completed form by email to nhsnwl.stjohnsreferrals@nhs.net.

Download the form

Get in touch

If you have any questions about how we can support you and those close to you, please contact us by emailing HospiceSWB@hje.org.uk or calling us on 020 7806 4017.

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