2.2 million people’s work impacted by being stuck on NHS waiting lists 

EMBARGO: For Immediate Release

Around 2.2 million people are seeing their work impacted by being stuck on waiting lists for NHS treatment, including many going on long-term sick leave or reducing their hours, analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

This is up from 1.41 million people whose work was being affected by waiting for NHS treatment in January 2023. It comes after Rishi Sunak admitted this week he has failed to meet his pledge to bring down NHS waiting lists.

The Liberal Democrats said it showed the Conservative government’s failure to tackle soaring NHS waiting lists was dealing a “hammer blow” to the economy. 

The figures are based on the latest Office for National Statistics survey looking at the impact of being on an NHS waiting list, conducted between October 2023 and January 2024. The survey found that over one in four adults report they are waiting for a hospital appointment, test, or to start receiving medical treatment through the NHS.

Among those who said their lives had been impacted by waiting for NHS treatment, 24% said their work had been affected, equivalent to over 2.2 million people across the country. Of these, the survey suggests that around 626,300 (29%) people had reduced their hours, 367,000 (17%) had gone on long-term sick leave and 151,000 (7%) had stopped working to go on illness related benefits.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on Rishi Sunak to implement an urgent plan to bring down waiting lists. This would include cancelling planned real-terms cuts to NHS funding in the Budget, introducing a 24 hour patient advice line to prevent avoidable cancellations and making it easier for patients to travel for treatment. 

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Rishi Sunak’s broken promise on NHS waiting lists is dealing a hammer blow to the economy and to millions of lives. 

"People are being left in limbo, stuck on long-term sick leave or having to cut back their hours because they can’t get the treatment they desperately need.

“It couldn’t be clearer that to fix the economy, we must fix the NHS and care. The Conservative government needs to take responsibility for this mess, reverse their planned cuts to NHS spending and come up with a proper plan to bring waiting lists down.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Source: Office for National Statistics. The impact of winter pressures on different population groups in Great Britain: NHS waiting lists

• 18 October 2023 to 1 January 2024 dataset (table 2.1)

• 18 to 29 January 2023 dataset (table 2.1)