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Renal Social Care
Practitioner - Claire Joyce (01223 274269)
Addenbrooke's Renal
services have now employed a Patient Social
Practitioner, Claire Joyce, to give advice and guidance
to all renal patients, their carers and relatives.
Claire can assist in applications for benefits, advocate
on a patient's behalf with appeals and hearings and
liaises with agencies such as social services, the
department of Work and Pensions and other local
government deparments.
Claire can also make
applications and referrals to various charities and care
agencies such as Addenbrookes Kidney Patients
Association, British Kidney Patients Association ,Age UK
and Crossroads . She has extensive experience and
knowledge of the psycho/social and financial
difficulties that may be encountered by renal patients
and has access to various information networks and can
run benefit checks for patients.
Claire is based at
Addenbrookes dialysis unit and runs clinics at the three
satellite dialysis units each month (West Suffolk,
Hinchingbrooke and Kings Lynn) and is available to see
patients confidentially. If necessary Claire can carry
out home visits when patients are unable and have
difficulty in getting to any of the dialysis units.
When funding is not
available elsewhere AKPA can, on the recommendation of
the Social Care practitioner, consider financial
support. This may include help with heating, holidays,
the cost of hospital visiting and utility bills. All
requests are made via a patient financial support
application and are carefully considered in confidence
and on their own circumstances.
For more advice and support
on these and similar issues, please contact Claire Joyce
directly on 01223 274269.
Renal Counsellors -
Geraldine Millar & Gill Chumley (01223 274544)
Kidney failure can be a
traumatic experience and professional counselling is
available for those who feel it would be beneficial.
This can be arranged by contacting the counsellor
directly or through the staff at the Dialysis Centre,
Satellite Units, wards and renal clinics.
Confidentiality will
be maintained whatever the route of contact.
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