A call by charities for the Government to take action on benefit delays

11 January 2020
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It is estimated that nearly 2,000 people have died in the last six months without financial support while waiting for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to publish a review on how terminally ill patients access benefits – according to figures highlighted by Marie Curie and the Motor Neurone Disease Association today.

On July 11 last year the Government announced that the DWP would review how dying people claim benefits however the charities say there has been very little action since.   

The charities are calling for a change in the law so that dying people can get fast, easy access to benefits.

Commenting in response, Jonathan Ellis, Director of Advocacy and Change at national hospice and end of life care charity Hospice UK, said:

“These shocking findings highlight how terminally ill people are at the mercy of a callous benefits system that effectively puts process before people’s needs.

“It is completely unacceptable that many terminally ill people and their families are forced to endure hardship and emotional distress for months while they wait for financial support and that in so many cases families do not receive this support until, tragically, it is too late.

“The current dysfunctional benefits system needs to be radically overhauled. We urge the Department for Work and Pensions to act without delay and deliver its review on benefits to ensure that terminally ill people get faster and fairer access to financial support as a matter of course in future.”

Notes to editors

  • Hospice UK is the national charity for hospice and palliative care. It works to ensure all adults and children living with a terminal or life-shortening illness receive the care and support they need, when they need it.
  • Hospice UK supports more than 200 hospices across the UK which care for over 200,000 adults and children every year
  • For further information about hospice care visit our website www.hospiceuk.org or follow us on Twitter @hospiceuk
  • Get all the latest news from the hospice and palliative care sector, as well as patient stories, on ehospice UK at: www.ehospice.com/uk