Doctors and nurses supporting terminally ill patients access disability benefits

Being diagnosed with a terminal illness is emotionally devastating. It can also come with extra costs, from taxis to hospital appointments to special diets. For many people these extra costs also come at a time when they have had to give up work.

We want people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness to get the financial help they’re entitled to as quickly as possible.

People who are terminally ill are fast-tracked through our application process for both Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment.

To do this we need a completed Special Rules for Terminal Illness application form, as well as confirmation from a registered doctor or nurse that someone is terminally ill.

They can do this by completing a Benefits Assessment for Special Rules in Scotland (BASRiS) form – the Scottish version of the SR1 form from the Department for Work and Pensions (previously the DS1500 form).

Doctors and nurses should complete a BASRIS form for any patient who is terminally ill and applying under the special rules for Child Disability Payment or Adult Disability Payment, no matter how long they think they have to live.

The Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) Guidance defines someone as terminally ill if they have “a progressive disease that can reasonably be expected to cause the individual’s death.”

It is important the date the clinical judgement of terminal illness was made is included on the form. We use the date of the clinical judgement as the starting point for payments and this may be different from the date of the application.

Mike has been diagnosed as terminally ill with cancer. He says it meant a lot to him that his medical staff filled in the BASRiS form allowing him to access disability benefits quickly. He said:

“I have to take time off work to go for treatment. Travelling to the treatment sessions and consultations costs money and I need a special diet.

“It was a relief that the process of getting Adult Disability Payment was straightforward.”

BASRIS forms can be submitted online or by post by the person who is terminally ill, their representative or their doctor or nurse.

The BASRIS form was updated on 15 December 2022. It is important when submitting this form that doctors and nurses are using the most recent version.

BASRiS forms are available to download or order via:

• the NHS digital portal
• an editable form on the Social Security Scotland website
• as a paper copy from Glasgow.mailroom@socialsecurity.gov.scot. These should be posted to: BASRiS, PO Box 27165, Glasgow G4 7BR.