Moan!!!

That's so disappointing. Checkout work is heavy on the hands - all those repetitive movements & lots of heavy lifting too. Have you involved Occ Health at work? Might you be able to get redeployment into a different role?

I know very little about benefits, but the Citizens' Advice Bureau would probably be helpful. And doubtless there will be somebody along here in a while that has more experience of what's available.

Also, I wonder if the Job Centre might be able to advise about retraining/ other types of work? I don't know what your physical status is, but maybe reception work/call centre/classroom assistant might be manageable for you?? (Not everybody's cup of tea, I know, but just a thought.)

Have a look on the NRAS site - there is information there about benefits.

And make an appointment at CAB, who can help with filling in forms with the correct jargon words which have to be there for the system to work for you instead of against you!

There are disability advisers in job centres as well, but I think you need to have been off work for a certain time to see one - but you could ring and ask.

Your work has a responsibility to provide adaptations to enable you to work. For example in one supermarket I saw a woman in a wheelchair supervising the self-service checkouts for problems.

Hi Chemar, I also work on the checkout in a supermarket. I was hounded to go back after 3 weeks having been signed off for 6 weeks by GP. I had the same sort of thing off my PM. I went back, but under strict instructions off my GP. I'm on a return to work lasting for 6 weeks only working part time but not on the checkouts. Don't know what will happen after the 6 weeks though. I've got my first appointment on Thursday 23rd Been waiting since April for this. Good luck. Hope you get some help.

Thankyou both for your replys xx

Hi chemar,

sorry you felt so bad at work. I have put a link to our publication on benefits for you to look at. You are already applying for the main benefit that people with RA apply for. The other one which you may be able to receive is called ESA. All the information about this is in our publication:

nras.org.uk/publications/be...

The government website also has a lot of information about financial help for disabled people and I have put a link to that below for you as well:

gov.uk/browse/disabilities

Hope this helps

Regards

Beverley (NRAS Helpline)

Hi, I work in a care home, I struggle daily with work, and each shift I do tends to seem harder than the last. I have a lot of time off work due to chronic back pain, and also arthritis pain, I take MST, MXT, lyrica, hydroxycloroquin. My manager has asked me exactly the same, my response was the same as yours, I cannt just pack in work I need that income or something to replace it, she changed the subject and didnt appear intrested, I really hope you manage to get sorted as there is nothing worse than working in pain all the time x

I hope u at least take some ibuprofen. It is a wonderful pill.