Marie Curie response to DWP Health & Disability Green Paper

Responding to the publication on 20 July 2021 of the Department for Work and Pensions(DWP)'s Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper,

Mark Jackson, Marie Curie Policy and Public Affairs Manager England said,

For people living with a terminal illness, every moment matters - those with a limited time left to live should be able to spend that time on what really matters, not fighting for support from the benefits system. Too often, dying people face an uphill struggle to get the financial support they need, facing inappropriate assessments and long delays.

As the UK's leading end of life charity, Marie Curie has heard time and time again cases of people struggling to navigate the system, and we welcome the DWP's focus on addressing these issues in the Health & Disability Green Paper.

Following the ​announcement of plans to the scrap the six month rule for terminal illness benefits earlier this month - reducing the number of unnecessary assessments people have to face to get financial support, and improving decision-making by relying more on medical evidence from clinicians, are ​important priorities. As the DWP develops these proposals they must ensure this includes extending the length of awards under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness and reforming the Severe Conditions criteria to ​ensure no-one living with terminal illness ​misses out on vital support.

However, Marie Curie are concerned that the Green Paper is a missed opportunity to consider how the social security system could better support people living with terminal illness who are living alone without a carer - for whom financial support is critical to pay for the additional care they need. This is of particular concern following the abolition of the Severe Disability Premium for new claimants under Universal Credit. It is crucial that the Government engage with the challenges of better supporting this group who are at severe risk of facing financial exclusion and social isolation at the end of life.

We look forward to now working with the department during the consultation period to ensure more people living with terminal illness get the support they need and deserve.