An NHS pensioner, who retired to South Africa in 2015 after 11 years of service, has had her pension payments stopped since May after being informed she was deceased. This error has caused severe financial distress for the individual and her husband.
Despite repeated calls and emails, the issue remained unresolved for months. The pensioner even flew to the UK from South Africa, borrowing money for the trip, in an attempt to resolve the problem in person, but was met with further delays and unfulfilled promises of call-backs.
This is not the first time the pensioner has faced issues with her NHS pension. Last December, her payments were stopped for four months after her account details were reportedly changed and her pension paid to the wrong person. That issue was resolved after identity verification was provided.
Three weeks after a third party contacted the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), which administers the pension scheme, the three months' worth of arrears were paid into her account. An NHSBSA spokesperson acknowledged an error in the records, which has now been corrected, and stated that the case highlighted areas for improvement. The NHSBSA also plans to discuss compensation for expenses incurred.