Government urged to tackle poverty to help the NHS

Addressing poverty should be as much of a priority as bringing down NHS waiting lists, said one of the report’s experts. Photograph: Jeff Moore/PA Media

People living in poverty find it harder to live a healthy life and face barriers to accessing timely treatment, new research suggests.

A report by the King’s Fund, commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, finds that the delays people living in deprived communities face for healthcare mean they are more likely to need expensive emergency treatment.