Changes to the welfare system could leave a significant number of cancer sufferers without financial support “at a time when they need it the most”, a group of cancer charities has warned the Government.
In a letter to Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, chief executives of 30 of the UK’s leading cancer charities warned that welfare reforms could have a detrimental impact on those suffering from the disease.
“We agree that the welfare system needs reform and welcome proposals to simplify a system that is currently confusing and bureaucratic,” the letter, signed by the heads of Macmillan, Breast Cancer Care and Cancer Research UK, among others, says. “However, we are extremely concerned that changes to disability benefits will mean that a significant number of people with cancer will be left without vital financial support at a time when they need it the most.”
The Welfare Reform Bill, which contains the Government’s proposals to radically reform the benefits system, will receive its second reading in the Commons today.
David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has hailed the proposals as “the most ambitious, fundamental and radical” since the creation of the welfare state, but Labour said yesterday some of the proposals represented “a game of Russian roulette for some of the most vulnerable”.
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In the letter, the charities warn that changes to the disability living allowance could lead to delays in individuals receiving key funding to help to cover their costs while they are receiving treatment, as the benefit is replaced by a new personal independence payment. They say that the proposal, which could mean people have to wait six months to receive the payment, would be extremely problematic if implemented.
“Cancer treatment often starts very quickly following diagnosis and the needs associated with cancer can escalate rapidly. In the first six months following diagnosis, people with cancer face dramatically increased outgoings to cover expenses such as travel and parking for hospital appointments and extra fuel costs,” they write.
“Without support for these costs as soon as the need arises, people with cancer will face increased levels of hardship and some will get further into debt.”
They also raise concerns that proposals to remove employment support allowance for those deemed able to work after one year “will hit cancer patients particularly hard”.
“We believe that this proposal, rather than creating an incentive to work, will lead to many cancer patients losing their ESA [employment support allowance] simply because they have not recovered quickly enough.
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“For many cancer patients it takes longer than a year to return to work. This is evident from your department’s own statistics, which show that 75 per cent of cancer patients who could be affected by this policy still need ESA after one year,” they write. “We hope you will ensure that your reform of the welfare system works for people with cancer, so that cancer patients receive the support they need when they need it the most.”
The letter also asks the Government to look at the inequalities faced by cancer sufferers who receive their medication orally. Currently, they say, only people who are receiving non-oral chemotherapy are automatically exempt from having to undergo a medical assessment or activities such as practice job interviews as a condition of getting their benefits. The signatories point out that oral chemotherapy or radiotherapy is “in many instances is just as physically and psychologically debilitating”.
The Department for Work and Pensions said last night that the situation of oral chemotherapy patients was currently under review.
“We are changing the welfare system because in its current state it’s not working. In all our changes we are protecting those who need the most help,” a spokesperson said. “Cancer sufferers who are terminally ill claiming disability living allowance will be exempt from waiting six months before they can make a claim.”