Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to introduce a death-in-service benefit for NHS workers.

The NHS Pension Scheme provides death in service cover of two times annual pay to active members who are yet to retire to support a member’s partner and dependents should they die before claiming their benefits. Membership of the pension scheme is voluntary and is available to all staff in the National Health Service who are yet to retire. Around 90% of staff are active scheme members.

Staff who have recently retired from the NHS Pension Scheme will have already received a tax-free lump sum and are therefore entitled to less generous death in service benefits should they re-join the scheme after retirement, but their family will receive additional death benefit if they die within five years of their retirement date as well as partner and dependent pensions.

The Department is considering whether to offer further support for the families of all staff providing frontline NHS services, including those who are not in the NHS Pension Scheme.