_2.jpg)
.svg)
An NHS pensioner living in South Africa has been left facing serious financial hardship after her pension payments were stopped because the system incorrectly recorded her as deceased.
The former NHS worker, who spent 11 years in the health service before retiring to South Africa in 2015, said her pension stopped arriving in May. When she contacted the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), which administers the pension scheme, she was told the records showed that she had died.
The incident follows a similar problem she experienced last December, when her pension was suspended for four months after her bank details were allegedly changed and payments were sent to another person. The issue was eventually resolved after she provided identity documents.
This time, repeated calls and emails failed to resolve the situation. She was forced to borrow money from relatives and friends to cover essential expenses, while the cost of international calls to NHSBSA became unaffordable.
The financial pressure became so severe that she said she had been unable to pay for dental treatment despite suffering from a broken tooth for a month.
In an effort to resolve the matter, she travelled to the UK using money borrowed from a friend. However, promised callbacks failed to materialise. Two months after she first complained, she was told that her supposed death had been referred to the organisation's fraud department.
While in the UK, she was also informed that an NHSBSA system upgrade meant only general enquiries could be handled for several days. She was later told that her case required an investigation and that she would receive a response within 30 days.
The situation left her stranded in the UK, separated from her elderly husband in South Africa and relying on a friend's sofa while waiting for her pension to be restored.
After the case was raised with NHSBSA, the organisation paid three months of outstanding pension payments into her account and apologised for the distress and financial hardship caused.
An NHSBSA spokesperson said an error had been made in its records and that the mistake had now been corrected. The organisation also said it took its responsibilities to pension members seriously and acknowledged that the case showed areas where it needed to improve.
NHSBSA added that it would discuss the possibility of compensation with the pensioner, including expenses she had incurred as a result of the error.
