NEWS: Government Urged to Address Health Crisis

As reported by Workplace Insight, a new report calls for a coordinated effort across government departments to tackle rising ill health and economic inactivity, which could boost the UK economy by billions

A ‘whole-of-government approach’ is needed to tackle the causes of ill health, increase economic activity, and reduce NHS demand, a new report from the NHS Confederation and Boston Consulting Group claims.

According to the report, “Improving our Nation’s Health: A Whole-of-Government Approach to Tackling the Causes of Long-Term Sickness and Economic Inactivity,” reintegrating between half and three-quarters of people who have dropped out of the workforce due to ill health since 2020 could deliver an estimated £109-177 billion boost to the UK’s GDP (2-3 per cent in 2029) and unlock £35-57 billion in fiscal revenue over the next five years.

The report highlights that the causes of ill health and labour inactivity are multi-faceted, which is why the authors argue that the new administration needs to break down the departmental silos that have hindered the necessary collaboration. They believe that the Prime Minister’s promised Mission Board for Health should drive this ambition, including creating a new Health Improvement Strategy.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “The UK faces a series of enormous health challenges, as seen in the sharp rise in the number of people out of the workforce due to long-term sickness. This spike has defied European trends and requires both additional investment in the NHS alongside coordinated and sustained action across government departments focused on building the nation’s health. There is broad consensus that the NHS requires major transformation to respond to the changing needs of its patients, to be financially sustainable, and to achieve better outcomes. However, this cannot be realised without more money and without tackling what is contributing to such high levels of demand today.”

Raoul Ruparel, the report’s author, stated: “The number of 16-24-year-olds who are long-term sick inactive with multiple conditions has grown by 18 percent since pre-Covid, making them the fastest-growing group out of the workforce. This increase is largely driven by a surge in mental health conditions post-Covid. It is no coincidence that the number of individuals moving directly from being students to being economically inactive has grown rapidly — these flows have more than tripled since pre-Covid.”