Boyes Turner is proud to be a legal panel member of HASAG Asbestos Disease Support, a charity who provide support to people with asbestos-related diseases and their families. They offer information and advice, counselling, help with benefits applications and assistance with compensation claims. Receiving a diagnosis of asbestos-related disease can be scary and confusing for both the sufferer and their loved ones. This is something that the founders of HASAG understand from personal experience, and the charity was launched with the aim of ensuring that nobody in that situation would ever feel that there was nowhere to turn. Support and counselling One of the great ways that HASAG provide help and support to patients and their families is by organising regular coffee mornings. They are free to attend, and patients and their friends and families are all welcome. In addition, solicitors and nurses come along to provide support and answer any questions that patients may have. Our specialist asbestos solicitors regularly attend these events, and it is a pleasure to meet the patients and their families and hear their stories. The coffee mornings take place regularly in Southampton, Portsmouth, Guildford, Uckfield, Reading, Braintree and Basildon. They will shortly begin taking place in London as well. There are also regular zoom meetings for anyone who cannot attend in person. Another way HASAG supports patients and their families is to offer counselling. If a patient or one of their loved ones feels that they would benefit from counselling, HASAG put them in touch with a specialist counsellor on their panel. Help with benefits applications Asbestos disease patients may be eligible for certain state benefits. HASAG will offer to visit patients at their homes and advise them on their entitlement to benefits. They guide them through the application forms and make the relevant applications on their behalf. If an application is refused, HASAG can assist with making an appeal against the decision. Fundraising As with any illness, research into asbestos–related diseases is the first step towards improving treatments and finding a cure. Fundraising plays a crucial part in enabling this to happen. HASAG have raised over £900,000 for Mesothelioma UK and to fund research into asbestos-related diseases. They have also been able to part-fund four specialist Mesothelioma UK nurses in the South and East of England in partnership with Mesothelioma UK. HASAG also help pay for nurses to attend educational conferences enabling them to share information about clinical trials and treatments which may help asbestos disease patients. Boyes Turner is delighted to help HASAG with their fundraising. At a recent fundraising event, we organised and participated in a ‘geocache challenge’ (an outdoor treasure hunting activity) which was an enjoyable way to raise money while complying with the COVID restrictions that were in place at the time. How do I get help after a diagnosis of asbestos-related disease? If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease you are not alone. You can contact HASAG here to find out what support is available: https://hasag.co.uk/contact-us/. Boyes Turner is also here to help. Our asbestos claims team are recognised as national experts in the Legal 500 and Chambers directories for our expertise and experience in helping obtain compensation for patients and families who have been affected by asbestos-related disease. For more information about how the mesothelioma and asbestos disease claims team can help you or your loved ones after diagnosis with an asbestos-related disease, you can speak to one of our team, free and confidentially, by contacting us by email on idclaims@boyesturner.com.
