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Marie Curie Campaign – #Scrap6Months

Currently, dying people can only get fast access to benefits if they are told they have six months or less to live.
Anyone with a longer prognosis or an unpredictable illness faces a mountain of red tape: the gruelling process of applying for welfare benefits they need, interviews, stressful assessments and financial uncertainty.

Marie Curie are there for anyone affected by terminal illness, and to help everyone plan & talk about the end of life. It is also the largest charitable funder of palliative and end of life care research in the UK and a leading voice in the UK calling for improved access to and quality of palliative and end of life care.

PLEASE HELP & SIGN THEIR CAMPAIGN – CLICK HERE.

Almost one year ago, on 7th August 20129, the Marie Curie Campaign handed in the #Scrap6months petition of 55,435 signatures to 10 Downing Street. This followed the Government’s announcement in July 2019 that the DWP would review how dying people claim benefits.
In September 2019, Madeline Moon MP failed to get the bill passed even with full support from the Motor Neuron Disease Association (MND) and despite an All-Party Parliamentary Group for Terminal Illness (APPG) having been in place since July 2018.

A Parliamentary Bill was presented by the APPG. Six months on, Marie Curie called for the government to “find its heart” and scrap the six-month rule to make it easier for dying people to get the support they need and die with dignity.
Another six months further on and today a Private Members’ bill was presented by Jessica Morden MP who stated: “It’s wrong that terminally ill people are forced to spend their final months wrestling with the benefits system. My bill today calls for changes to an unfair system.” She went on to say “In 21st century Britain we cannot tolerate a situation where our most vulnerable citizens and their families are forced to spend their final months together wrestling with the complexities of an obstructive benefits system.” Today’s bill was co-sponsored by the APPG‘s Chairman, Drew Hendry.

Mrs. Christine McCluskey has been the most recent person focused on by the media and the campaign. Her disability benefits stopped four months before she died of lung cancer, aged 61 years and weighing only 20Kg. Because Mrs. McCluskey had hobbled from her sofa to the door to let her assessors in – they said the terminally ill grandmother was fit to walk 200m.