Great! Downton’s Jim backs our Compassion for the Dying crusade
‘People who have been diagnosed with terminal conditions need all the support they can get to continue living a good life’
DOWNTON Abbey star Jim Carter last night welcomed the Daily Express’s Compassion for the Dying crusade.
Currently, terminally ill people can only get fast-tracked access to higherrate benefits if a doctor or nurse says they have fewer than six months to live.
But this means thousands of patients with unpredictable conditions like motor neurone disease have to wait for their personal independence payment claims to be assessed.
We are joining Marie Curie and the Motor Neurone Disease Association in calling for the six-month requirement to be scrapped.
Carter, who is a Marie Curie ambassador, said: “It’s great that the Daily Express is supporting the Scrap6Months campaign through their Compassion for the Dying crusade.
Precious
“People who have been diagnosed with terminal conditions need all the support they can get to be able to continue living a good life.
“A change in the law will let doctors decide when a person is terminally ill, instead of an outdated process that is stopping so many people from receiving the support they desperately need.”
The regulations mean terminally ill patients have spent precious time worrying about their finances.
Some have even been forced to attend back-to-work coaching sessions in order to continue receiving basic payments.
Actress and Marie Curie supporter Nichola McAuliffe welcomed the Daily Express role in supporting the Scrap6Months campaign.
“I hope everyone will support charity and sign the petition.”
Tracey Bleakley, chief executive of charity Hospice UK, said the current system “urgently needs reform”.
She added: “We give our backing to the Daily Express’s Compassion for the the Dying campaign and salute its efforts to shine a light on the shocking delays experienced by dying people awaiting benefit claims.
“It is completely unacceptable that dying people have to face such big bureaucratic hurdles when trying to access their benefits.”
Sally Light, chief of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, said: “Coping with an illness like motor neurone disease which robs you of your ability to move, talk, eat and eventually breathe is hard enough. That’s why we campaign to try to make life that bit easier for people with the disease, in whatever way is possible. And that’s why we hope that the Government will hear the Daily Express’s campaign– and act to make a difference.”
Simon Jones of Marie Curie said: “Having the support of the Express means that we can add further pressure on the UK government to do the right thing and scrap quickly the law that prevents terminally ill people get the financial support they need when they need it.”
The charities want 10,000 signatures to petition for a change in the law.
It can be signed online at mariecurie. org.uk/scrapsixmonths