Long NHS waits and rising living costs are harming people’s health, show ONS data

People’s health and wellbeing are continuing to be affected by rising living costs and difficulties accessing NHS services this winter, new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data show.

ONS’s latest winter survey, published on 27 February, found 70% of adults in Great Britain who were waiting for NHS treatment reported last month that it had negatively affected their life.1 Among these people, 57% said the wait affected their wellbeing, for example through boredom, loneliness, anxiety, or stress, while around 38% said it had made their condition worse. Around 18% reported having had an appointment cancelled or delayed in the past month.

Some 21% of those surveyed reported they had needed to contact their GP practice …