Barbara has pledged her support for a campaign to improve access to benefits for dying people.

#Scrap6Months is the campaign led by Marie Curie and the Motor Neurone Disease Association which is seeking a change to the law which demands that a dying person must prove that they have six months or less to live in order to access benefits quickly and at a higher tier.

Currently, if a person is diagnosed with a terminal illness, they may still have to go through a lengthy process to access benefits and undergo assessments of their fitness to work or even prove that they are looking for work.

Receiving benefits is vital for many people at the end of their lives as they rely on financial support due to being unfit for work, or because of the increased costs associated with living with a terminal illness.

Barbara says:

“I am proud to support the #Scrap6Months campaign from Marie Curie and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

“In a caring, compassionate society dying people should receive all the support available to live well and to make the most of the time they have left. No one who is at the end of their life should have to spend time jumping through hoops in an assessment or worrying how to make ends meet.”

To join Marie Curie’s campaign please visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/scrapsixmonths