State pensioners 'who are terminally ill' warned over new DWP rule

State pensioners have been warned 44,000 terminally ill people are set to lose £300 due to a Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) rule shake-up. Around 44,000 people with terminal illnesses will lose the payment, worth up to £300, according to figures obtained by Marie Curie through a Freedom of Information request.

Dr Sam Royston, executive director for policy and research at Marie Curie, said: "For people who claim benefits under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness, this may very well be their last winter and Christmas." Age UK is urging those on a low income to check whether they are eligible for Pension Credit as it could mean those who are most vulnerable can get an extra £3,900 a year.

One 81-year-old man told the charity: “We try and only use one hour of heating a day.” And an 87-year-old man said: “I will have to stay in bed longer and only get up to eat.” Sue Hogston, head of nursing and quality at Marie Curie Bradford Hospice, explained that cold environments significantly impact those with terminal illnesses.

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She said: "National research shows that living in a cold environment enhances your chance of respiratory illness and living in damp does the same. Living in a cold house impacts your cardio vascular system, so we know the cold impacts hospital admissions."

Helen van Bueren, 77, from Derbyshire, is among those who have lost their Winter Fuel Payment after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer. She said: "It seeps into your bones and sits there. It consumes you. With each year that passes, I feel myself fading a little more. I'm just over the limit for Pension Credit so I won't get my Winter Fuel Payment anymore and I do wonder if I will see the other side of this winter."

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, added: “With fuel prices having gone up so much compared to five or 10 years ago, even older people who expected to be relatively comfortable in retirement have been impacted and forced to tighten their belts. And for those without much money behind them, energy bills have become a source of real fear.”