South Oxhey benefit claimants who have been medically signed off from work will no longer have to travel to Watford to prove that they are eligible for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Those who had been signed off by their doctors as unfit for work had to present their medical certificate to Watford Jobcentre Plus, in Exchange Road, making it difficult for some who were not well enough to make the journey.

A collaboration between the South Oxhey Citizens Advice Bureau and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) means that claimants can now go to the bureau’s offices, in Bridlington Road, to have their forms processed.

Peter Franklin, South Oxhey Citizens Advice Bureau’s social policy co-ordinator, said: "Using this process should take some of the pressure off our clients. The DWP have agreed that as soon as they receive the medical certificates from us they will contact our clients directly to confirm that their claim has been received.

"This should cut down the amount of time that clients have to wait for the processing of their ESA claims and will hopefully take some of the strain off the clients using this process."

He added: "We hope that once this becomes generally known that this system is in place, our clients will come directly to us rather than having the worry of how to get their medical certificates to the DWP office in Watford."

South Oxhey Citizens Advice Bureau is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays between 10am and 4pm.