Justin Madders has today urged to write directly to the families of deceased NHS and
social care workers to make them aware of the scheme and to
encourage and support them in their application.
The latest figures regarding uptake of the scheme show that less
than 4 in 10 eligible families are due to benefit from the
scheme. The number of NHS and social care staff estimated to have
died as a result of coronavirus is now 620[i], yet the Department for
Health and Social Care has confirmed that as of 4th
November just 236 claims had been received in England, and of
those, only 205 claims had been accepted for payment, with the
remainder still being processed[ii].
In a letter to the Secretary of State, Justin Madders urges the
Government to take a more proactive approach to removing any
barriers that are contributing to the low uptake of the scheme
and says it is vital that the Government raise awareness of the
scheme, encourage applications, and make process as easy as
possible for the bereaved families.
, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, said:
“To have lost the lives of so many when they were just doing
their jobs is an absolute tragedy and the decision to open up the
death in service benefit to everyone working in the health and
social care sector in response to this was the right one.”
“However, to see such a low number of applications being made so
long after the scheme was started should be prompting to take action. He must personally take
action to ensure that no bereaved family misses out even
though the payment cannot take away the pain of that loss.”
ENDS
Notes for Editors
Office for National Statistics data: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/datasets/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwalesbeforeandduringthelockdown
Full text of letter:
Dear Matt,
NHS & Social Care Coronavirus Life Assurance
Scheme
I am writing to urge the Government to take a more proactive
approach to ensure that bereaved families who are entitled
receive support through the NHS & Social Care Coronavirus
Life Assurance Scheme.
As you will know, the first reported death of a health and social
care worker due to coronavirus was on 11th March.
When I wrote to you in April to urge the Government to
immediately extend death in service benefits to all NHS staff
just 19 deaths of frontline staff had been confirmed. Sadly, the
figure for NHS and social care staff who have died as a result of
coronavirus is now at least 618, according to the most recent
data from the Office for National Statistics.
The introduction of the NHS & Social Care Coronavirus Life
Assurance Scheme at the end of April was welcome but more than
six months on it is concerning that Government figures
demonstrate that the number of applicants does not match the
number of health and social care worker deaths.
Last week, the Health Service Journal reported that the families
of fewer than half of the NHS and social care staff who have died
from Covid-19 are on course to benefit from the government’s
£60,000 compensation package, with just 189 claims having been
accepted by the end of October. This has barely increased from
the figures obtained by my own Freedom of Information request
which found that as of 16th September 2020, 167 claims had been
received. The Department’s own figures this week confirm that
just 205 claims have been accepted for the compensation payment,
meaning fewer than 4 in 10 families are due to benefit from the
scheme.
I understand that the Department has written to employers who
have notified a staff death but for whom a claim has not yet been
received, to raise awareness of the scheme and to ask that they
contact the family, but with such low take up figures this action
has clearly not been effective and further steps must now to be
considered. This is particularly important given the time-limited
nature of the scheme and the need for people to submit claims
without delay.
I am therefore writing to urge the Government to take a more
proactive approach to removing any barriers that are contributing
to the low uptake of the scheme. It is vital that the Government
raise awareness of the scheme, encourage applications, and make
process as easy as possible for the bereaved families. I am
therefore asking you to take on the responsibility of writing
directly to the families of the deceased to make them aware of
the scheme and to encourage and support them in their
application.
Our frontline NHS and social care staff have given their all
throughout this pandemic; some of them have sadly lost their
lives doing so. The Government must demonstrate that same level
of commitment to ensuring the loved ones of those who have lost
their lives in the line of service receive the compensation they
deserve.
Furthermore, I urge the Government to extend the scheme to
include nursing, midwifery and medical students working in
clinical placements as part of their studies. As frontline
workers who encounter the same risks as their qualified
counterparts they should be entitled to the same protections and
support. I also encourage the Government to address the issue of
those in receipt of benefit having to choose between accessing
the social security they are entitled to or the compensation they
receive. The Government should disregard the payments as capital,
as is the case for other schemes such as the Windrush
Compensation Scheme or those who hold a Victoria or George Cross.
I look forward to a response at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely,
Shadow Health Minister
