Access to work scheme- how does it work?

[crescen]

Hi, my husband fell sick last year and is finally Going back to work after almost a year. He cannot drive because now he has epilepsy and his social worker helped him apply for access to work scheme. He is a GP so has to do frequent home visits as well. Due to his illness, he will be working half days and then do one home visit every day. So in this case, how can access to work scheme help with his home visits and also daily commute? I don't drive so can't help. Will the access to work scheme only work with taxi companies? Is it possible for his retired father to help him with his commute/ home visits and get paid for it? Because my husband has high risks of seizures, it will be good to have him drive around with his father than a stranger who might not know what to do. Also, unlike daily commute, home visits are unpredictable and waiting for the taxi can take ages. Can anyone share their experience?

I would suggest he discusses his application with the Access to Work team. Reasonable adjustments may mean the amount of home visits is reduced. Can he commute by public transport or is his surgery still doing remote consultations?

Thank you for your reply. He has a telephone appointment with the DWP this Monday. Bus ride is 1.5 hours with 3 bus change. It won't help him because since his illness, exhaustion has become a major issue which is why he is doing only half days in the first place. He needs to take a nap once he's home. At his surgery it's back to face to face now. Avoiding home visits is not an option especially when he has patients on end of life care becuase they can't be seen by any other doctor than their main GP. It's very tricky. His father is helping him currently, but not sure how long that will be possible.

Yes, it is tricky. How far is it from home to the surgery? Is there an expectation he may be able to drive in the future? If not, are you planning to move nearer the surgery? Presumably, the patient visit could come out of the surgery costs if reasonable adjustment is not allowed by GMC for end of life care, but what happens if the terminally Ill patient needs a home visits after his shift has ended?