Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of whether current guidance provides sufficient detail to ensure consistent interpretation of Special Rules for End of Life eligibility criteria across clinical settings.

The Government undertook a comprehensive review of the Special Rules for End of Life in 2020. Following that review, legislation was amended in 2022 and 2023, with cross party support, to extend eligibility so that people who might have 12 months or less to live can access fast tracked support. This replaced the previous 6-month definition and is aligned with the approach used in current NHS practice for defining end of life.

Guidance was updated alongside these legislative changes to support consistent interpretation across clinical settings and to ensure clinicians are supported by a definition that reflects established NHS practice. Aligning the definition with the NHS helps provide greater clarity and confidence for clinicians when providing evidence, while recognising the inherent difficulty of providing precise prognostic estimates

Clinical evidence to support a claim under the Special Rules for End of Life is usually provided through the SR1 form (which can be found by searching for ‘Send an SR1 medical evidence form’ on GOV.UK). The SR1 is a short medical evidence form which can be completed by an approved clinician and provides clinical confirmation that a person is likely to have 12 months or less to live, which allows the Department to apply the Special Rules for End of Life

The Department keeps the operation of the Special Rules under review and is committed to continuous improvement. We work closely with clinicians and stakeholder organisations to gather feedback on guidance and processes. Current work is focused on reviewing and improving the SR1 digital portal to make it easier and quicker for clinicians to submit evidence, supporting timely and consistent decision making for people nearing the end of life.