Macmillan Cancer Support has said welfare changes will hit more than 20,000 people fighting cancer across the UK
Universal Credit will put tens of thousands of cancer patients at risk, a charity has warned.
Macmillan Cancer Support has said 26,000 people with the condition will suffer if the failing benefit system is rolled out fully.
The charity has warned people with cancer are being forced to wait five weeks to receive urgent financial support as a result of Universal Credit, even at the end of their lives, putting them at risk of hardship, stress and anxiety.
Strict rules also mean patients have to apply online for benefits under the new system, which is difficult in hospital or without a computer, or travel to Job Centres to do so, where there is risk of infection.
The charity, which provides financial advice for people with cancer, has had 26,555 calls about benefits this year. That includes more than 215 calls about Universal Credit last month alone.
The National Audit Office also found around two in three (67%) people with health conditions or disabilities did not receive their first Universal Credit payment on time, so many people with cancer will face even longer delays. The side effects of cancer and its treatment can affect someone’s ability to work. As a result, cancer costs an average of £570 a month for the majority (83%) of patients, due to lost income and extra outgoings, such as increased household bills due to feeling the cold more.
Macmillan is calling for the government to urgently fix the existing issues with Universal Credit, before any more vulnerable people move over to the system.
Chief executive Lynda Thomas said: “People with cancer should be able to focus their energy on their health, not worrying about how to make ends meet when they are too unwell to work.
“It is unacceptable to force patients to risk infection at Job Centres, log onto computers from hospital and wait more than a month for vital financial support, even at the end of their lives.
“The system is failing people with cancer and we urge the government to fix this benefit, before tens of thousands more vulnerable people are put at risk of hardship.”
