‘Are you waiting for me to die?’ – Horndean terminal cancer patient hits out after waiting months for support benefit

The payment is an additional benefit to help ‘with some of the extra costs’ if a person has long term ill-health or disability.

Donna Wickers, 57, said: ‘During my last phone call about my application I told them “are you waiting for me to die so you don’t have to pay out”.’

After being advised by her GP she should be eligible for an urgent approval due to her terminal prognosis, Donna was told by the DWP this was not the case as ‘it was not clear whether she had more than six months to live’.

Donna then submitted the appropriate forms and evidence on August 25 of last year and was told it would be processed within eight weeks.

Donna said: ‘Each time I called I was constantly told it should be processed in another couple of weeks and when I called last week I was assured it was a priority.

‘Time is of the essence - I don’t have time to wait. I had a heart attack in October and then just last week I had a nose bleed which wouldn’t stop and I thought I would have to go back into hospital.

Donna first took ill after collapsing in March and was told she had just four weeks to live. However radiotherapy and subsequent treatments have improved her original prognosis.

She said: ‘I had a scan in July last year and they said the cancer had stabilised and forecast I may have up to two years left. I want to live as long as possible but I know it’s going to get me in the end.’

SEE ALSO: Mass Covid-19 vaccination centre to open at St James Hospital in Milton

The payments would allow Donna ‘to make the most of my time left’ and allow her to concentrate on her health and ‘not have to worry about other things like bills and replacing my washing machine which is on its last legs’.

Donna also wants to use the payments to help save for her funeral arrangements.

‘I want to get everything in place so my son doesn’t have to worry about it. The money can also be used to help pay for my care with things like hoists and wheelchairs as my condition deteriorates,’ said Donna.

Determined to continue to enjoy life, Donna has made a bucket list which she hopes the payments will help her achieve.

She added: ‘The payments would be really beneficial in allowing me to do some of things I want to tick off before I die. I’ve always wanted to go to the Isle of Wight but have never been and I would like to stay at a B&B in Cornwall. I would also like to give myself a treat of a spa weekend.

‘I’ve been housebound since the start of the pandemic as I’m extremely vulnerable but hopefully I will get the chance to do these things when the pandemic ends.’

Donna’s quest to get her application processed had been supported by friend Sue Ashton, 58, who even wrote to Boris Johnson but did not get a reply.

Sue said: ‘All Donna wanted was access to these payments to make her life more comfortable. Her treatment has been an absolute disgrace and if I had the money to help her I would have given it to her myself.’

After being contacted by The News a representative from DWP contacted Donna the following day and confirmed her application has now been approved and that she will receive a payment of £605 every four weeks which will be back dated to the date of her initial claim on August 25.

After hearing the news Donna said: ‘I feel really relived that I will receive this payment and it will make a big difference to my quality of life. It’s strange how this was suddenly resolved after they were contacted by The News. I want to thank The News for its support in resolving this matter.

‘I can now get on with making arrangements for my funeral and, once things are safe, be able to start ticking off my bucket list. Ideally I would like to find a place in the UK where I can swim with dolphins.’

POLITICIAN BRANDS SYSTEM ‘DISGRACEFUL’

The time taken for Donna’s application to be processed came as ‘no surprise’ to Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson who said he has had to support ‘many cases’ of city residents trying to access the benefit.

Cllr Vernon-Jackson said: ‘It’s an absolute disgraceful system and in my time at the council I’ve had to try and help many people with their claims. The system seems designed by the government to be as unpleasant as possible and to be as difficult as possible for people to get the benefits they are entitled to.

‘I think the government just hope people will give up with their application.’

Responding to the situation a spokesman for DWP said: ‘We are very sorry for the delay and have apologised to Ms Wickers. She has been awarded the highest rates of PIP and it will be backdated to when she first made her claim.’

The DWP also said the application was approved within expected levels and the average clearance time from an application to a decision being made was 16 weeks. They also said due to Covid guidelines and suspension of face-to-face assessments to be replaced with telephone assessment there had been an impact on the waiting time for some claims to be processed.

Commenting on the time taken Portsmouth South's Labour MP Stephen Morgan commented: ‘This is deeply troubling and a solution to cases such as these must be found quickly. It’s vital those that are terminally ill get the quality of life and respect they deserve – pandemic or not.

‘The terminally ill have too often been forgotten about during this pandemic and I will be questioning the government and its relevant departments to ensure this changes quickly.’

Portsmouth North’s Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt is also concerned about the time taken for some claims to be processed.

Ms Mordaunt said: ‘It’s recognised that those with a diagnosis of terminal illness should be a priority and are also entitled to additional support. I have campaigned to get the same clinical definitions of palliative care used in both the NHS and benefits system, and the situation has improved.

‘However, if anyone finds themselves in this position they should contact their MP to chase it up and check they are getting all the support available. Sixteen weeks is far too long.’

Fellow Conservative MP and former parliamentary under secretary of state at the DWP, Caroline Dinenage, added: ‘It’s crucial that people who have a terminal illness receive support when they need it, and that the process for accessing this support does not involve unnecessary stress. Special rules for terminal illness mean that if you are nearing the end of life your claim can be fast-tracked and paid at the highest rate of benefit.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news online - as well as fewer adverts, access to our digital edition and mobile app.

Our trial offer starts at just £2 a month for the first two months.