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Citing her own personal experiences, Amber Rudd has聽asked the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to set up an honest and in depth evaluation of how the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their life and those with severe conditions.

While Special Rules for Terminal Illness mean that if you are living with a terminal illness you can have your benefit claim fast tracked and paid at enhanced rates many charities have campaigned for the rules to be changed.

Work and Pensions Secretary聽Amber Rudd said:

Having a life limiting illness or severe condition can cause unimaginable suffering for the patient and for their loved ones.

Having seen it in my own family I know that the last thing you need is additional financial pressures or unnecessary assessments.

So that鈥檚 why today I am beginning work on a fresh and honest evaluation of our benefits system so that I can be sure that people who are nearing the end of their life are getting the best possible support.

聽I hope that this comprehensive evaluation of how we treat those with severe conditions and terminal illnesses聽will help ensure these聽vulnerable people get the support they need from our benefits system.

I want people to have confidence in what we do at the DWP, ensuring聽no one is suffering unnecessary hardship at this especially difficult time.

Not all doctors understand the system or feel confident聽they are聽making the聽right聽diagnosis for their patients, and the rules聽are聽often seen as favouring those living with cancer when other heart breaking illnesses can also limit life.

For those living with the most severe or progressive conditions, benefit processes have recently been made simpler, moving them out of unnecessary reassessments.

However, the Work and Pensions Secretary wants to look again to make sure that these processes are working effectively and to see if more can be done to improve engagement with the department for claimants living with the most severe conditions.

Amber Rudd yesterday visited the Macmillan Horizon Centre cancer support in Brighton to begin conversations with stakeholders and today will host a number of charities聽at聽the DWP, including Macmillan and Hospice UK.

She has also ordered the department to seek the views of a wide range of people, including patients,聽doctors and nurses.聽

The review will include 3 strands of research:

• hearing directly from claimants聽and charities about their first-hand experiences
• considering聽international evidence to find out what works in other nations and the support they provide
• 谤别惫颈别飞颈苍驳听肠耻谤谤别苍迟 DWP performance聽to聽better understand how our Special Rules for Terminal Illness聽and Severe Conditions processes operate and perform

Amber Rudd will also seek senior medical input to help shape the evaluation and review the evidence gathered. Professor Bee Wee, NHS National Clinical Director for End of Life Care for NHS England is attending聽today鈥檚聽roundtable.

Around 500,000 people die in England each year and around three-quarters of those deaths are expected 鈥� that is they are not sudden or聽unexpected. There are many more people who are living with severe or progressive health conditions.

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