Thousands of Londoners forced to apply for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) when they have terminal illnesses

By Jacob Phillips, local democracy reporter

Thousands of terminally ill patients have been forced to sign up for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) when they have less than six months to live.

In the last three years, 7,485 people in London have applied for urgent support after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, including cancer.

Patients can get emergency access to benefits payments and at a higher rate if their doctor says they have six months or less to live.

But around 100 people in the UK died before they got their end of life payments.

In Croydon, 102 people applied for end of life benefits in the last year while 95 people applied for the emergency payment in Ealing – a Freedom of Information request from the BBC Shared Data Unit reveals.

A high number of people applied for the end of life payment in Greenwich (82), Bromley (85), Hillingdon (69) and Hounslow (69).

The number of people applying for the payment was much lower in Central London.

There were 29 people who applied for the end of life payment in Hammersmith and Fulham last year while 13 people applied in Kensington and Chelsea.

Around 23,000 people a year apply to the Department for Work and Pensions for support after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.

End-of-life campaigners are now worried that Londoners are being left stressed waiting for payments in their time of need.

Many terminally ill patients have also been left without payments as they are unable to prove, or do not know if they have six months to live.

Madeleine Moon, former Labour MP for Bridgend, has campaigned to remove the six-month time limit and replace it with a clinical judgement made by a doctor or nurse.

Mrs Moon – who lost her husband Steve to motor neurone disease, said: “The cruelty, if not the inhumanity, of the current system is shocking.

“We are asking people to say ‘I’m dying’ and the last thing they want to say when they are dying is that.”

Motor Neurone Disease Association charity chief Susie Rabin added: “Frankly, the Special Rules for Terminal Illness process doesn’t work for some people.

“It’s a real challenge for people with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).

“MND is very unpredictable which makes it very, very hard for a clinician to give a prognosis and that makes it very hard for people with MND to access benefits through the special rules route.

“One third of people die within one year of diagnosis but it’s very difficult for an experienced neurologist to say how long a patient has left.”

Reforms have been promised by Westminster, which will extend the six months end of life rule to 12 months.

But critics say the timetable for reforms is unclear, and that the proposed changes – although an improvement – do not go far enough.

They have called on the government to scrap the requirement for people on terminal illness benefits to be reassessed every three years, and to accept the prognoses of medical practitioners.

A DWP spokesperson said: “Terminal illness is devastating, and our priority is dealing with people’s claims quickly and compassionately.

“Those nearing the end of their lives can get fast-track access to the benefits system, with the majority receiving the highest possible award and paid within three days of making a claim.

“We will be extending the current six-month end of life rule to 12 months so more people can get the vital support they need.”