A new poll, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, has found that one in three working adults say they have missed work in the last year while waiting for a medical appointment or treatment on the NHS.
It’s outrageous that so many patients have been left to suffer as a result of this Conservative Government’s neglect. Thousands of people are waiting an appalling length of time to start treatment, with countless more desperately trying to get hold of their GP to no avail.
Over half of young adults say they’ve been forced to miss work in the past year due to soaring health waiting lists, including seeing GPs.
Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt’s failure to get a grip on the crisis in our NHS is having a detrimental effect on the entire country. Millions battling health conditions have been left in limbo and our economy is suffering as a result.
The impact of healthcare waits
The devastating poll reveals reasons for missing work in the past year include:
One in five working adults say that they have been unable to go to work while waiting to see their GP.
One in seven say they’ve had to take a significant length of time off work as they wait for NHS treatment or surgery for a health condition.
Just over one in ten missed work while stuck waiting for an emergency dental appointment.
These treatment backlogs and an alarming shortage of GP appointments are damaging economic growth and will continue to impact both the economy and people’s quality of life without a significant rescue package.
This Conservative Government cannot continue to turn a blind eye. It’s clear that growth is not possible unless we first tackle the ever-growing NHS treatment and GP backlogs that are holding millions of people back and having a devastating impact on quality of life.
Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to use the Autumn Statement to invest that extra £13bn into the NHS to deliver on a robust series of measures to support the health service through this winter and longer term.
This includes recruiting 8,000 more GPs, reversing Conservative cuts to vital public health services in local communities and funding 200 new radiotherapy machines.
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