Hello. After having to call 999 for my partner on Thursday, he is now in a mental health ward as an informal patient or what I heard on ward rounds yesterday, a voluntary section.
How do I begin?! They only had space out of county so I’m driving 30mins every day to see him but he’s obviously not himself. His psych has reviewed him and will chat to him next week as they are tweaking meds but no one will say how long he will be in for and as the only one who has been able to work and having 2 kids of very different need to look after, I don’t know what to do. I’m self-employed too so sick pay will be non-existent and I’m guessing I have to call universal credit and carers allowance? Do I have to let his pip now?
Like I said, where do I even begin as all I want to do is hibernate right now?
Your situation sounds very stressful. You are juggling a lot of people’s needs and worrying about finances on top of this. It sounds like you did the right thing though, I hope your partner is stabilised quickly.
He can claim PIP and you can claim Carers Allowance for the first 28 days that he is in hospital.
You should let Universal credit know straight away, however the payments should continue at the same rate for 6 months.
There is information here:
However, if in doubt contact the Carers Uk helpline:
For information and signposting, our telephone Helpline is available on 0808 808 7777 from Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm (including Bank Holidays).
If you have a more complex query or would like more detailed guidance, we suggest you contact our email Helpline (advice@carersuk.org), as we’ll be able to provide more information.
Oh I had to, he needed life saving medical care first and they were amazing.
Thank you, he already has PIP I meant to say, I just wasn’t sure if I’d need to contact them. I’ll contact UC via phone as don’t want him to have any shame if it’s in online journal. Hopefully this week we get some more answers and timescales.
Hi @weasel35
I didn’t word that very well. What I meant was he can continue to claim PIP for 28 days and you can continue to claim Carers allowance for 28 days.
Thank goodness they were wonderful.it sounds like it was a very scary situation.
Thank you. I don’t think he will be in past 28 days but now that I’ve been signed off on the sick for the first time in a long time, I wonder how does that work if he then loses PiP and universal credit after 28 days? Would be nice to know I can feed the kids!
@weasel35 If the situation changes and it looks like he will be staying in for longer than you currently think then contact the Carers UK helpline or Citizens Advice Bureau for advice, as per my links in my previous post.
Your council should also have a hardship fund which you can apply for.