The Deputy Prime Minister has pledged more support for
those diagnosed with a terminal illness, as the Civil Service
joins hundreds of employers already leading the way in ensuring
best practice for people facing the most difficult time of their
lives - by signing the Dying to Work Charter.
While many employers take great care already, a campaign called
Dying to Work raises awareness of the important steps they can
take to provide employees with dignity and peace of mind as they
navigate a terminal diagnosis in work.
These steps are listed in this charter created by the TUC and
founder Jacci Woodcock MBE, who was diagnosed with terminal
breast cancer in 2012. It encourages employers to sign up as a
promise to ensuring additional support for terminally ill staff
and making sure the employee is involved any decision-making
around how they continue in work.
The charter already has over 400 employers signed up all over the
UK – from local businesses to public services big and small,
covering over 1.5 million employees. Now with the Civil Service
signed up, around 2 million employees are now protected by it.
The move adds to the leading support the Civil Service already
provides for civil servants living with a terminal illness and
government work supporting thousands of employers through
DWP's
Disability Confident campaign, which also supports the
charter.
Deputy Prime Minister said:
No one battling terminal illness should ever have to face extra
stress and worry over their job security at what is already the
most challenging time for them and their loved ones.
It is vital at such a difficult time that employees with a
terminal diagnosis are treated sensitively and with the best
support – that's why I'm so proud we are backing this charter.
Minister for Employment Rights said:
The bare minimum people facing terminal illness would expect is
to have a sympathetic employer who treats them with dignity and
respect, whilst dealing with the difficulties this brings.
While many employers take great care already, we know this isn't
always the case. That's why today, the Civil Service is setting
the standard, protecting vulnerable workers and giving them the
freedom to decide whether to stay in work with the support they
need.
TUC Director of Organising Sian Elliott said:
We all hope our employer would support us if we were diagnosed
with a terminal illness – but sadly, that's not always the
case.
We welcome the government's decision to sign the Dying to Work
Charter, improving support for civil servants. No one should face
the added burden of losing their job at the most difficult time
of their life.
The charter is about dignity, security, and choice. Two million
workers are now covered by it across both the public and private
sectors. We hope many more employers will sign up too.
The Deputy Prime Minister , Minister for Employment
Rights and Cabinet Office Minister
all signed the charter
together on behalf of the Civil Service. The signing took place
on Thursday (26 June) with trade unions present.
The government's help to raise awareness of better practices for
terminally ill staff is part of its plan to make work pay, which
is the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- According to Cancer Research UK, 1 in 3 people are projected
to be diagnosed with cancer and currently in 1 in 10 cases are in
people under 50.
- In 2023/24, over 345,000 people were on the palliative care
register in England - a list held by GPs of people who are under
their care and approaching end of life and are likely to have
less than 12 months to live.
