Almost one in four dying people in Newcastle end their lives in poverty
Almost a quarter of people who die in Newcastle end their lives in poverty.
City leaders have been urged to do more to prevent terminally ill people and their families from being pushed into a financial crisis by reduced incomes and mounting bills.
According to a report from Marie Curie, 20% of pensioners and 40% of working-age people who are dying in Newcastle spend their final year in poverty.
That means, overall, that 23% of people who die have been living below the poverty line.
The charity has also estimated that 590 dying people in Newcastle miss out on palliative care that they need every year.
Audrey Buckham was forced to declare herself bankrupt when caring for her terminally ill husband, Eddie, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October of 2020.
She previously worked full time for the NHS, but had to reduce her hours and later cut them altogether to care for Eddie.
The 64-year-old, of Houghton-le-Spring, said: “One morning I said, ‘Eddie, I need to talk to you. We’re having problems with money, and I’m going to have to declare myself bankrupt.’ He got really upset and cried. Both of us cried together. You know, you’re worried about the person that you love dying, and then you’re having to worry about money on top of that.
“You hear all these things on the television saying that ‘you can get help when you’re diagnosed with cancer. You don’t have to worry about your bills etc’ but that’s just not the case.”
The grandmother added: “We’d always needed the heating on because Eddie felt the cold more. And that costs a fair bit. We were also left paying for a lot with credit cards, too. Like when the washing machine broke or different things in the house I had to buy to help Eddie get around.
“I bought a toilet raise, a step up to get in the bath, a wheelchair and a bath seat. They’re not cheap either, but he needed them to give him a good quality of life.”
The Dying in Poverty 2024 report, published by Marie Curie with research by Loughborough University, found that more than 110,000 people die in poverty in the UK every year – up from 93,000 four years ago.
Marie Curie also estimates that, in 2023, 8.6% of deaths in Newcastle and Gateshead were preceded by three or more emergency hospital admissions in the last 90 days of life – higher than the England average of 6.2%.
It is now calling on Newcastle City Council to step in. The charity has suggested guaranteeing eligibility for council tax support to low-income households that include someone living with a terminal illness and to prioritise the terminally ill for other help, through schemes such as the Household Support Fund.
The charity invited local councillors to the Marie Curie shop on Shields Road in Byker last week to discuss ways they can improve support for terminally ill people and learn about the extra costs faced by families – including travel to and from medical appointments, food which meets specific dietary requirements, home adaptations and the cost of powering at-home medical equipment.
Sarah Middlemiss, policy campaigns manager at Marie Curie said: “We recognise the financial pressures which local government is under, but would urge councils to, where possible, explore how to best support people dealing with terminal illness, financially.
“No-one should have to face their final days worrying about money or whether they can afford to heat their home, so we’re inviting local authorities to look at how they can best use systems already in place to help local people who are living with a terminal illness.”
Karen Kilgour, leader of Newcastle City Council, welcomed the charity’s efforts to highlight the “devastating consequences” of poverty for the terminally ill.
The Labour councillor added: “I wholeheartedly agree that the last thing people should be having to worry about at such a time is finances, and I would welcome the opportunity to work with Marie Curie on how we could better support our communities.
“Applications to our Council Tax Hardship Scheme are prioritised whenever we’re made aware of a terminal illness forming part of the circumstances of a claim, and we are currently reviewing our Council Tax Support Scheme to explore how we can incorporate support for our residents facing these circumstances.
“We have done, and always will do, everything within our means to lift people out of the clutches of poverty and ensure any support we can give goes where the need is greatest, while focussing on prevention through raising living standards, promoting inclusion and opportunities to training and employment and improving public mental health.
“That’s why we’re investing in interventions to tackle child poverty that have inexplicably been allowed to reach record levels, and why in the winter we provided up to £1m from our Household Support Fund allocation to eligible pensioners to help them heat their homes, and why we’re pushing businesses across Newcastle to pay at least the Real Living Wage – as we do ourselves.
“We’re also embedding the Marmot Principles to help build a fairer Newcastle by tackling the root causes of poverty through a public health approach to give everyone a better chance at a healthy, secure life.
“I also welcome North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’s focus on reducing child poverty and we look forward to working with her to unlock funding to help children in poverty in our city.
“Sadly, years of austerity and financial neglect of previous governments have wiped hundreds of millions of pounds from our budgets, pushing more people into poverty and placing additional pressure on our resources in the process.
“We will not stop investing in our communities and we will continue to do all we can to empower our residents to live and age well while being able to access good quality care and support when they need it.”
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