Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 1 October 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its efforts to reduce child poverty, whether it plans to expand the eligibility criteria for the Young Patients Family Fund to include those regularly travelling as day-patients for cancer treatment, in light of Young Lives vs Cancer's #RunningOnEmpty research, which states that one in five families have had to take on debt, and a third have fallen behind on household bills, to help cover the cost of travelling to receive treatment for their or their child's cancer treatment, due to travelling over 400 miles every month on average.
I met with representatives from Young Lives vs Cancer on 25 September 2024 to discuss their campaign.
Under the existing patient travel expenses schemes, financial support for travel to hospital is available for patients and authorised escorts, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements. The families of patients with cancer aged under 18 who are receiving inpatient care can also already access financial support through the Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF).
Scottish Government has provided funding to Young Lives vs Cancer of £213,600 over two years (2023-2025) through the Children, Young People Families and Adult Learning (CYPFAL) fund. This funding supports the provision of advice on potential welfare benefits as well as direct grants to improve the emotional and mental wellbeing and reduce financial worries of young patients with cancer and their families.
There are no plans to expand the eligibility criteria for the YPFF at this time.