Macmillan accused of “betrayal” in terms of plan to chop the advice of benefits | Charity

Macmillan cancer support must remove its specialized consulting service from 14 million pounds sterling, which helps tens of thousands of people each year, in what has been described as betrayal of vulnerable patients.

Macmillan, one of the most important and most prominent charitable organizations in the United Kingdom, said the staff and partners have planned to finance their specialized social benefits at the end of this year.

Its advice services help cancer patients in the social benefits system to ensure that they get financial support if they have to abandon work during treatment, as well as additional costs of their disease, such as food, heating and transport.

The latest annual figures of 2022 show that the services, operated under contract by 70 branches of local citizens, obtained 112 million pounds sterling to support 34,000 cancer patients, of which at least a quarter lived in poverty and 40% of retirees.

Services' cuts come three months after the Guardian revealed that Macmillan has ax a quarter of its staff to reduce costs and abolished its annual difficulty fund of 17 million pounds sterling, which granted £ 200 subsidies to tens of thousands of patients with cancer on low income.

Macmillan said that current well-being consulting agreements were unaffordable, but that funding would be extended in late May 2026 to allow the advice of citizens to explore options and identify potential alternative arrangements in the long term.

Steven McIntosh, Director of Partnerships at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “We are proud of the impact obtained thanks to the financing of local organizations and advisers of social benefits, but we are concerned that the way we finance this support cannot meet growing demand and is not sustainable.”

Only two years ago, a Macmillan report boasted that well-being and financial advice from the charity illustrated its “unshakable commitment” to help cancer patients during their “most vulnerable moments” and had a positive impact on their health.

Two days after partners were informed of the latest cuts via the webinar, Macmillan Cancer Support Assisted at a reception in Buckingham Palace Hosted by King Charles using charity organizations, in which he underlined the “care community” of those who helped patients with cancer and praised them for their humanity and expertise.

The cuts were received with a shock and anger by the social protection advisers, who declared that the depth and expertise of the service were irreplaceable, while the calendar – before the reductions of the government of 5 billion pounds sterling with invalidity services, which are the greatest objective of social support funded by Macmillan – could not be worse for patients with cancer.

One of them said to the Guardian: “If there is one thing worse than having cancer, it is cancer without money. People who direct Macmillan just don't understand that. They betrayed all Douglas Macmillan [who founded the charity 114 years ago] represented – that those who reach cancer should not be forced to do poverty, but here we are, all these years later, where it is now a reality. »»

A former Macmillan staff member who left the charitable organization after reducing their position last year, said: “It was pretty badly decreasing among the staff. It is well known within Macmillan how well social protection advisers are towards people with cancer.

“I just don't understand why they get rid of a service on which so many thousands of people count, while hiring elderly people with large wages.

“I understand why the cuts may have to be made, the climate in which we are, but I do not understand why the social protection advisers are those to be cut, why the front line must be cut, when there are so many elderly people in the offices of the strategy and meetings all day.”

A spokesperson for Citizens Advice said: “We are undergoing current discussion with Macmillan to understand the implications of financing changes and how the advice on sustainable advantages for cancer care patients could be delivered in the future.”

Macmillan insisted that he could not “continue to do everything we have done before” because in recent years Income – 233 million pounds sterling in 2023 – did not follow the rate of expenses (262 million pounds sterling in 2023). But criticism fear that the front -line services of the poorest patients seem to bring the weight of the cuts.

The staff of citizens' councils funded by Macmillan are in a number of areas integrated into NHS cancer services and operate directly from hospitals so that patients can ask questions about money concerns in the same place where they are treated. Other charities, such as hospices, also count on advisers to support their patients.