More than 30 leading charities have called on the UK government to stop forcing people with terminal or life-limiting illnesses to undergo distressing benefit reassessments. In a letter to disability minister Sir Stephen Timms, the organisations argue that the current system is 'simply wrong' and should be replaced with automatic lifetime awards of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for these claimants.
Coalition of Charities Demands Change
Convened by end-of-life charity Marie Curie, the coalition includes Amnesty International, the Trussell Trust, and Age UK. They urge the government to adopt a system similar to Scotland's, which fast-tracks access to the higher rate of PIP for terminally ill people without reassessments.
The letter points out that between February 2025 and 2026, 38 per cent of people with Parkinson's disease, 16 per cent with dementia, and 9 per cent with motor neurone disease were given fixed-term awards, despite these being progressive, life-limiting conditions. During the same period, only 2 per cent of awards for these conditions changed after reassessment, each costing the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) £282.
Call for Compassionate Reform
Becca Stacey, Marie Curie's senior policy manager for financial security, said: 'Too many people living with terminal illness and progressive, life-limiting conditions are being forced to prove just how unwell they are, which is simply wrong. These reassessments rarely change the outcome, but they cause real distress and uncertainty at a time when people should be focused on comfort, care and time with loved ones. The UK government has a clear chance to fix this now. Ending reassessments and introducing lifetime awards for people with terminal and progressive, life-limiting conditions would create a fairer, more compassionate system that treats people with dignity.'
Personal Stories Highlight Flaws
Sharing their experience with Marie Curie, one disabled person with severe emphysema said: 'It's not something I can recover from but PIP stopped my allowance for 10 months, saying I wasn't as bad as I was saying. Why aren't chronic illnesses exempt from these extremely stressful and nerve-wracking interviews? I am going to die through emphysema, it doesn't magically get better – only worse.'
Government Response
A DWP spokesperson said: 'Reforming the welfare system so that it better meets the needs of disabled people is a priority for this government. We are working closely with disabled people and organisations through the Timms Review to ensure PIP is fair and fit for the future. We launched a call for evidence that is closing today and we are beginning to carefully consider and analyse the responses provided, including those on reassessments. We are also taking an important step to improve the system through new legislation which will reduce the frequency of reviews for many existing PIP customers.'
The Timms Review, announced after a threatened backbench rebellion last July, is currently examining PIP, which is claimed by nearly 4 million people. The call for evidence concludes this week.
