As part of the new South East London Enhanced Sickle Cell Community Service, there is now welfare support available for people of all ages living with sickle cell disorder across the six boroughs of south east London (Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark).

Since February, our new south east London welfare support advisors have supported over 115 people living with sickle cell disorder. Welfare support can offer help with benefits, housing, and other social services you may require.

Meet Debbie and Sam: The welfare support advisors

Debbie brings years of experience from the Department of Work and Pensions, where she worked with the First Tier Tribunal service to ensure fair outcomes for benefit appeals. Now, as a key part of our service, she supports individuals in Lambeth, Lewisham, and Southwark. Over the past seven months, Debbie has helped people with sickle cell navigate employment and support allowance, universal credit, council tax, personal independence payments, alongside supporting people with disability living allowance, attendance allowance and carer’s allowance.

Sam, our welfare support advisor for Bexley, Bromley, and Greenwich, has been with the team for five months. He has already made a significant impact by assisting individuals with disability benefits, universal credit, cost-of-living support, tribunal appeals and reducing high priority debt. One of his success stories involved assisting a patient who had sickle cell disorder, alongside a number of further serious health conditions, and was struggling with rent arrears and impacted by the bedroom tax. By securing a rent arrears hardship grant and successfully appealing the bedroom tax, he ensured the patient’s long-term tenancy was sustained.

We recently caught up with Sam to hear about his experience working with the sickle cell community. He shared:

“It’s been a fantastic experience being on the frontline of this community project. I regularly visit some of our most vulnerable patients at home, and we’ve just opened a new clinic in Bromley at The Glades. So much has been achieved in a short time, and I’m excited to continue helping more patients over the next 18 months!”

We’re eager to see how Sam and Debbie continue to make a positive impact, providing vital welfare support to the sickle cell community in south east London.

To learn more about the community service and other changes happening in south east London, visit the South East London ICS website: https://www.selondonics.org/our-residents/your-health/care-and-support/sickle-cell/