pensioners have to pay to go to hospital

It certainly used to be the case that pensioners in hospital for more than a certain length of time – I can't remember how long – had their state pension stopped for the duration of their stay. I recall handling this on her behalf when my mother was ill. However, I thought this had now been stopped. If it hasn't been, it certainly should be.

Its disgusting, like I said not so bad if they are on a higher income but if they have a month in hospital they will have no income and may not have any savings so are in debt automatically. Is there any politician going to sort this out in their election agenda

etheltbags1 Are you sure that the person who told you this is giving you current information? It used to be easy to check because the instruction was printed in the front of the pension book but I don't think anybody has a pension book these days. Perhaps try checking on the Work and Pensions website – it must have one.

No need to get so het up. The state pension is not affected by a hospital stay. If you get carer's allowance, it might be after you are in for 28 days.
Unless they've just gone and changed the rules, of course.

No one's basic state pension is stopped or reduced if they go into hospital, however long they stay there for. Certain other benefits may be, but only because they wouldn't be needed during a hospital stay.

x posts

The person who told me has shown me the leaflet she gets with her pension info and it does say that they must be informed of hospital stays.

If it wasn't to stop the pension then they wouldn't ask. If the pensioner was going abroad on holiday for a few weeks they dwp wouldn't care.

No one's basic state pension is stopped or reduced if they go into hospital, however long they stay there for. Certain other benefits may be, but only because they wouldn't be needed during a hospital stay.

Which may be why the DWP need to be informed.

www.nidirect.gov.uk/sm/giha5ni.pdf?rev=1

Ethel look at page 17 of this PDF. It categorically states that you will still get your state pension even if you're in hospital for a year.

I can see why people are confused. My DH has just retired, and has been sent a DWP leaflet entitled Notes about State Pension, presumably the one that ethel's friend has. It does state that when you are in receipt of a state pension (no other benefits or allowances are mentioned), there are all sorts of changes of circumstances that you must inform the DWP about. One is going into hospital.

I think that this is just a very badly written leaflet. Apparently he must inform the DWP if his spouse (me) goes into hospital, leaves the UK for more than 3 months, stops living with him, gets any benefit, pension or entitlement, is involved in a trade dispute, starts or stops work, has a change in earnings etc, etc. As his pension is his alone, containing no allowance for me at all, it surely wouldn't be affected by any of these events? I can't see why he should be contacting them every time I blow my nose!

Many years ago state pension was stopped once you had been in hospital for six weeks but this is no longer the case.

When I was a student nurse in the early 60s I can remember pensioner patients, if they were in hospital for 6 weeks or longer having to give in their pension books. In those days there was, in the hospital I trained in, a person called the Lady Almoner who would turn up on the wards at visiting time and collect the pension books from patients or their relatives.The books were returned to the patient when they went home.
I don't know if any money was deducted, but I was told this was to stop relatives cashing the pensions for themselves.
The Lady Almoner I remember in my hospital was a very formidable person.She had a record of the length of stay of all pensioner patients and was very particular in collecting the books.
Nowadays people are rarely in hospital for 6 weeks. Pensioners still in need of care at this time, if not seriously ill, are usually discharged to private nursing homes.
I don't know why this 6 week rule was in force, if relatives were trying to cash the pensions for themselves they would do it before then.
I worked as a nurse till I retired about 8 years ago. I never at that time remember pensions having to be surrended, it must have been a thing of the past.

X post Soupy.

I can recall having to send my mother's pension book back when she had been in hospital for a certain length of time ...13 weeks comes to mind but that length of time may not be correct.
That was about 11 years ago.

I didn't realise the rules had changed.

This Age UK Fact Sheet gives all the details you need on page 27. You do not lose your pension but after 28 days but disability benefits are suspended after 28 days.

www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/Information-guides/AGEUKIG07_going_into_hospital_inf.pdf?dtrk=true

Maggiemaybe, Your husband would be affected if the two of you as a household were claiming Pension Credit. You may both have entirely independent state pensions (we do as well) but when it comes to top up benefits like Pension Credit, it is done at an aggregate household level. If the household make up changes because someone is in hospital, then top-up benefit entitlement also changes.

My daughter spent 7 weeks in hospital last summer and 6 weeks the year before. There was no suggestion that her DLA would be reduced or suspended. If these rules don't apply to younger people why are they applied to pensioners.

I appreciate that would be the case, FlicketyB. But my point is that the information given does not refer to any top-up benefits (Pension Credit or anything else). It simply states that if you are in receipt of a state pension you must inform the DWP of any of the many changes on their list. That is why I think it's bound to lead to confusion, as it has done with ethel's friend.

Or the suspicion that they are laying down the foundations of a future change to the rules.....

It would be ridiculous for them to stop people's state pensions. How would they pay ongoing bills like council tax, TV licence, insurances, water bills, etc? And some people in receipt of a state pension still have mortgages and loans to pay. I can understand why it would alarm some people, though, and perhaps it should be worded differently.

Mcem- it should stop after 4 weeks. Did you tell them? If not better just forget all about it!

Whilst my husband was in hospital, a letter came regarding his pension increase. Part of it said that they should be informed of certain circumstances, one of which was entering or leaving hospital, failure to inform could result in a £50 fine. It worried me, so my daughter rang them. She was told it was so that any benefits, not pension, one was attendance allowance, could be suspended for the duration of their hospital stay. As he isn`t in receipt of anything other than his pension, they said we had no need to worry.

Granny2 there was no mention of it at the time. In fact she had to cancel an appt with DWP for a 'return to work ' interview. Will speak to her about it.

thank you numberplease, that makes sense.