Northern Ireland's terminally ill 'poverty crisis is truly shameful,' says end of life charity

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New data has revealed that 2,000 people died in poverty in Northern Ireland in 2019 - a figure which the end-of-life charity Marie Curie has described as "shocking."

The organisation fears the number of terminally ill people affected is likely to have increased with the soaring cost of living.

It runs a hospice in Belfast which helps to provide "a sense of peace and comfort" - especially for those who have money worries, according to Joan McEwan, the charity's head of policy in Northern Ireland.

"They're given the space and time to focus on quality time together and making the most of the precious time they have left," Joan explained.

The charity has a team of nurses who care for terminally ill people in the community.

"Often we hear out nurses saying that heat isn't on in people's home and that's a difficulty whenever you're ill and you're at home," said Paula Heneghan, a manager at Marie Curie.

"A lot of people are working on meters. Our nurses hear the stories and there is an anxiety for people," she said.

The research from Loughborough University also found that people of working age who are terminally ill are at a higher risk of dying in poverty - over one in four died in poverty in 2019.

With this stark figure, Marie Curie is calling for people of working age who are terminally ill to be given access to the State Pension.

"We need concrete solutions from Stormont and we need them quickly," Joan said.

A good starting point is ensuring people with a terminal illness get early access to their state pension, so they have the means to have a better quality of life in the time they have left.

It’s an appalling indictment of our society if we sit back and do nothing to address this, she added."