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, 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. Heart patients forced to wait over a year for treatment in England Read more 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 .