Almost every NHS trust across England surveyed has seen health worsen in their area as a result of poverty and the cost of living crisis, research has found.
The survey, conducted between February and March 2024 by NHS Providers, spoke to leaders at 72 NHS trusts, accounting for a third of all trusts in England. The trusts surveyed included acute, mental health, ambulance and community.
Ninety-six per cent of NHS trusts surveyed said the cost of living crisis had worsened health in their local area, with more than half saying that the decline had been “significant”. More than half (51%) of NHS trusts said there was a lack of funding for initiatives that would reduce health inequalities in their local areas, the survey found.
The research also revealed the specific challenges that NHS trust leaders are facing, which include people who cannot afford to eat properly or heat their homes arriving in hospital more unwell than they would have been otherwise, as well an increased demand in patients trying to access local mental health services.
Alex Whitfield, the chief executive of Hampshire hospitals NHS foundation trust, said the cost of living crisis was affecting employees as well as patients.
“The difficult financial climate we’re living in is undoubtedly impacting the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of our staff, as well as people living in the communities we serve. As a trust we work hard to try and reduce this impact,” Whitfield said.
“We are finding that the difficult financial climate is impacting on our patients. As well as increased demand on our services, we are seeing more people with complex social circumstances presenting at our hospitals.”
She added that to help address the issues, the trust had been working with various organisations to help improve the health outcomes in the local area. “Alongside our partners across the system, we are developing our partnership approach to work even more closely with colleagues in non-NHS services, such as housing, employment services, the police and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector,” Whitfield said.
Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said the survey revealed the “significant challenges NHS trusts face when tackling health inequalities”.
Cordery said: “Ensuring healthcare is equitable to all is not just a moral obligation for the NHS but a legal one, too.
“Trust leaders are working hard to ensure this but are thwarted by stubborn funding barriers and the rising costs of housing, energy and food, which continually push people into poverty and associated ill health.
“To meaningfully close the health inequality gap, trusts need protected, long-term funding for specific health inequalities initiatives.
“We are at a critical juncture. Decisions made by the next government will have lasting implications for health equity in England. It’s time to move beyond quick fixes to create a sustainable, equitable health and care system for all.”
Hannah Davies, the executive director at Health Equity North, said rising living costs combined with “systemic under-funding of structures designed to help the most vulnerable in society to survive, are having a devastating impact on the health of people across the country”.
Davies added: “It is no wonder that healthcare providers are seeing such a profound impact on the health system. We need to shift to informed place-based prevention now.
“We need a cross-government health inequalities strategy and evidence-based policies that address the wider determinants of health, such as poverty, housing, energy security, education, productivity and employment rates, put in place as a priority. Through this we can pave the way for a fairer, healthier society and a more sustainable health system of the future.”
A government spokesperson said: “The government is working to ensure everyone across the country can access the highest quality healthcare when and where they need it. That’s why NHS England is working to reduce health inequalities and improve the health of the poorest 20% of the population, regardless of where they live.
“This is in addition to our major conditions strategy, which will help with the management of conditions responsible for poor health and early death, and address disparities in health outcomes, supporting the mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030.”
