Sheffield man waiting for triple heart bypass operation declared fit to work

Konrad Zastawny, 55, of Meersbrook, is due to have triple heart bypass surgery in January, after being diagnosed with angina in February of this year.

However, he is currently living on just £317 Universal Credit a month, which he says he is only able to do thanks to the generosity of a friend.

Nevertheless, even with his friend’s help, he is still getting deeper into debt the longer his illness goes on, and is getting increasingly angry at the benefits system for not helping him out in his hour of need.

“If my friend wasn’t so helpful I would have had to sell my house or remortgage,” he said.

“[Secretary of State] Thérèse Coffey stands there saying if you can’t work Universal Credit will protect you. It makes no sense to me.”

The £317 per month Konrad gets is the same as what he would have got under the old jobseekers’ allowance payment, equivalent to around £80 a week.

But he doesn’t understand how he is supposed to be looking for work when he has a serious illness which leaves him short of breath on some days and simply unable to move on others.

To make matters worse, he recently received a letter asking him to report at the job centre for an interview at around the same time he is meant to be going under the knife for an operation which normally takes 12 weeks to recover from.

He said: “You hear horror stories about Universal Credit but I think mine takes the biscuit.

“The system that has been set up is simply not working.”

Konrad, who is originally from Leicester, has lived in Sheffield for the last 20 years and has worked all his adult life.

His work coach has told him his only option now is to appeal, but he has also contacted his local MP Louise Haigh, to act on his behalf.

A spokesperson for the Department of Work and Pensions said: “We are currently reviewing Mr Zastawny’s claim taking into account new information he has provided.”