A KIDNEY patient claims that he is being penalised for taking the pressure off hospital beds by volunteering to be treated at home.

And Raymond Debeney (52), of Massey Street, Bury, stopped his vital dialysis for days as a protest.

He is now appealing against a decision by Benefits Agency staff, who said he was ineligible for help with household chores and supervision of his treatment.

Former textile technician Raymond, who has also undergone a recent heart operation, stopped his dialysis but was persuaded to resume his treatment.

Raymond's treatment for polycystic kidneys, means that he spends three hours every day attached to a mobile catheter and drip. He could attend Manchester Royal Infirmary for treatment on a kidney dialysis machine.

The current treatment is considered the best clinical option by doctors treating him at the hospital, allowing him to stay at home and enjoy some freedom of movement. Raymond currently relies on a neighbour to stay with him while he is on the drip to help out and ensure that nothing goes wrong. Following a recent triple bypass, Raymond is been unable to lift anything heavy until scarring heals, which could take up to 12 months.

He claims that if he was treated in hospital he would receive more help at home and with his treatment.

He said: "The doctors tell you that they prefer you to have treatment at home. Not everyone can have a machine and they prefer it because it takes the strain off the hospital.

"I understand that and my problem is not with the hospital. What annoys me is that you bend over backwards to help the Government and they penalise you for it."

"I need help with everyday things and with all the medical equipment and need the disability living allowance. "The explanations they're giving me about why I'm not getting it aren't satisfactory."

Raymond says that following an examination by a benefits agency doctor he felt sure he would receive the benefit.

But the Benefits Agency say that claimants would not qualify for the benefit purely on the basis of their condition.

A spokeswoman said: "Decisions are not taken by the doctors but by members of staff employed to make decisions. They take into account the effects of a disability on a customer's life."

Bury social services said that while services such as shopping, cooking and cleaning could be provided to a patient in Raymond's situation, medical treatment could not be.

Raymond will now pursue the matter by independent tribunal.

He added: "I'm taking this as far as I can."