Cost of living leading to NHS demand surge in Scotland

Cost of living leading to NHS demand surge in Scotland – JRF warns action is needed to improve lives and protect the NHS

• Over 1 in 4 surveyed adults in Scotland (26%) have accessed the NHS due to the impact of the cost of living crisis on their mental or physical health
• Of people who reported a negative impact from the cost of living crisis, just under 1 in 10 had accessed hospital services (either A&E or other services) for their physical health and over 1 in 20 had accessed acute mental health services
• JRF is calling on UK and Scottish governments to tackle poverty in order to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed

The pressures facing families on low incomes in Scotland are leading to new and worsening mental and physical health problems, adding to the strain on the NHS, according to findings from a forthcoming poll of over 4,000 people in Scotland carried out for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Over 1 in 4 surveyed adults in Scotland (26%) have accessed the NHS due to the impact of the cost of living crisis on their mental or physical health. 7 in 10 people who had accessed a foodbank or who had skipped or cut down the size of meals to make ends meet reported a negative impact on their physical health due to the crisis.

JRF is calling on the Scottish and UK governments to act to tackle poverty and ensuring everyone can afford the essentials to avoid ”an injustice that is failing our people” if health inequalities are allowed to shorten lives and overwhelm health services.

The rising tide of poor health is affecting groups who have been long known to be at risk from poverty, with nearly two thirds of single parents (63%) reporting a somewhat or very negative impact on their physical health – a sizable jump from around 50% in the previous survey in 2022.

Chris Birt, Associate Director for JRF in Scotland said:

“Our nation’s health has been of great concern for far too many years, with outrageous numbers of people in Scotland dying sooner and spending more years in poor health than they should. It stands to reason, but is still shocking to see, the scale on which people are seeing a decline in their health as a result of the cost of living crisis.

“Unacceptable levels of poverty and high prices mean that it can be all but impossible for many families to live in the warm home we all need, or provide the regular, nutritious and cooked meals that keep us healthy. This cycle of health inequality is an injustice that is failing our people and turning up the pressure on the NHS.

“It’s wrong that so many people in a rich country are living shorter, less healthy lives because they can’t afford essentials and it is also outrageous that we are at risk of overwhelming the NHS through a lack of action. This was an avoidable crisis that has been inflicted on low income households across Scotland and the UK.

“The real answer isn’t going to be a bigger health service to manage the symptoms – it is to cure the underlying poverty that is pulling so many into ill-health.”

The UK Government must adopt the Essentials Guarantee that JRF is proposing with the Trussell Trust. This would ensure that Universal Credit provides enough so that no one goes without the essentials. The Scottish Government must re-commit to and accelerate their efforts to create a Minimum Income Guarantee.

Among people who reported a negative impact on their physical or mental health from the cost of living:

• 3 in 10 had sought support from their GP
• Just under 1 in 10 (9%) had needed to access hospital services for physical problems
• More than 1 in 20 (6%) had needed support from acute mental health services
• Almost half of families with children where someone is disabled have needed to use NHS services as a result of rises in the cost of living.

In addition to those who have used NHS services, 12% of people had also been put off accessing NHS services due to waiting times and 8% had wanted to access an NHS service but were unable to, leading to concerns of unmet need which is likely to be more distressing and add further pressures to the NHS in the future.