Bride's final months marred by pension stress

Caoimhe Jennings, a 27-year-old bride, was radiant and beaming on her wedding day, yet she was simultaneously grappling with a terminal illness. Adding to her difficulties was a prolonged struggle to access her ill health retirement pension from her former employer, HMRC. This pension issue caused significant stress during an already challenging period for Caoimhe and her husband, Ollie.

After a long delay, Caoimhe finally received a lump sum payment. Her MP, Gregory Campbell from the DUP, raised her pension case directly with the Prime Minister during a session in the House of Commons on the day of her wedding. Campbell highlighted that while Caoimhe’s case was resolved due to this high-level intervention, thousands of others in similar circumstances might not be as fortunate to receive such prompt assistance.

The delay was mainly caused after Capita took over the administration of civil service pensions in December 2025. The company inherited a larger backlog of cases than anticipated, leading to some former civil servants across the UK experiencing months without any income. Capita has expressed remorse over the distress caused and acknowledged that Caoimhe’s case was among those affected by the inherited backlog. They stated they have been prioritizing ill-health retirement cases and hardship situations in collaboration with additional resources and the Cabinet Office.

Caoimhe’s health battles began in October 2025 when an optician noticed bleeding behind her eye, resulting in a brain tumour diagnosis. Since then, she has undergone chemotherapy, thirty rounds of radiotherapy, and two operations to relieve brain fluid pressure. Despite being told she has only months to live, Caoimhe remains hopeful and grateful for the kindness shown by others during her ordeal. Meanwhile, Ollie described the pension-related stress as “the last thing we needed on top of Caoimhe’s diagnosis,” emphasizing the additional emotional burden they faced amid this difficult time

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