Benefits Information for Healthcare Professionals
We’ve provided some information to help ensure that healthcare professionals have up to date information on benefits.
Special rules for end of life
Special rules for end of life apply in the following social security benefits: Attendance Allowance; Disability Living Allowance; Personal Independence Payment; Employment and Support Allowance; and Universal Credit.
The Special Rules provide fast-tracked access to these benefits where a person has received a diagnosis of a progressive disease, and death is reasonably expected within 12 months. This life expectancy timeframe aligns more closely with that used in the Health Service for the purposes of “end of life” care.
In Northern Ireland people who are nearing the end of life will be able to access fast-tracked financial support through social security benefits. They will not have to go through assessments and will get automatic access to benefits earlier.
- Guide to completing medical reports
- The Special Rules: how the benefit system supports people nearing the end of life
Personal Independence Payment
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64 years.
Most PIP claimants will undergo a face-to-face assessment with a Health Professional working on behalf of Capita Health and Wellbeing, the PIP Assessment Provider in Northern Ireland. They may contact you for further information about a claimant. In line with General Medical Council guidelines, contact will only be made where the patient’s consent is held.
There are also Special Rules for claimants who are nearing the end of life and are not expected to live for more than 12 months to ensure they get help quickly. You may be requested to fill in an SR1 form for a patient who may have 12 months or less to live to confirm their medical condition.
We’ve developed resources to help provide an overview of PIP and your role in the process. Further information is available on nidirect and these pages are updated regularly to reflect the latest information about PIP.
Employment Support Allowance (ESA)
Further information about Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) specifically for healthcare professionals is available.
Income Support
Income Support is extra money to help people on a low income. It’s for people who don't have to sign on as unemployed. Whether you qualify or not and how much you get depends on your circumstances.
Guidance for Social Workers in Northern Ireland
For more information on Income Support
Ordering medical advice forms for Healthcare Professionals
Northern Ireland GP Practices, hospitals and clinics can place orders for medical advice forms from the online ordering service from the Business Service Organisation Procurement and Logistics Service (PaLS).
Should you have any queries concerning this service, please contact the PaLS Customer Helpline Team on 028 9536 1301
Advice regarding who can order each form and how to order can be found below.
Med3 and Med10
Doctors, registered nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists, who are providing NHS services and treating NHS-funded patients can order pre-printed Med3 or Med 10.
MATB1
All Healthcare Professionals can order MATB1s
SR1
GPs, hospital doctors and registered nurses (for example, specialist nurse) can order copies of form SR1.
Notifying the Department for Communities of a customer’s hospital admission.
When a Department for Communities (DfC) customer is admitted to hospital, it is crucial that we receive this information as soon as possible to ensure that they receive the correct amount of benefit.
The new CF73 (Notification of Hospital Admission for patients on Benefit or State Pension) should be fully completed by an admission clerk upon any DfC customers admission.
The customer’s National Insurance Number and all of the benefits they are in receipt of are essential pieces of information for the department and should be completed in full before being forwarded, where possible.
Once the CF73 is fully complete, it should be issued immediately to the relevant address outlined below.
If the customer is only in receipt of Universal Credit, this document must be returned to:
Freepost, UNIVERSAL CREDIT NORTHERN IRELAND
If the customer is in receipt of any other Department for Communities benefit(s) (other than Universal Credit), this document must be returned to:
Mail Opening Unit, PO Box 42, LIMAVADY, BT49 4AN
To ensure that the department can process these documents efficiently, please print the new CF73 prior to issue and avoid using photocopies of previously printed products as the reduced quality impacts how these documents are processed.
NB. All previous versions of the CF73 – Hospital Admission Form must be destroyed and replaced by the new CF73 and processes.