Major Illnesses on the rise in the UK
9th August 2023
Major Illnesses on the rise in the UK
A report carried out by The Health Foundations has found that 9.1 million people in the UK are expected to live with a major illnesses by 2040. This is an increase of 37% or 2.5 million more people from 2019.
In 2019 one in six of the adult population were living with a major disease and this is predicted to go up to one in five by 2040. Conditions such as cancer, diabetes and kidney disease are all rising. This is in line with the UK aging population with 80% of the projected number of people living with a major illnesses being aged 70 years and older. This means that the remaining 20% of projected people will be the working age populations of adults aged 20-69.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic there has also been a significant rise in economically inactive people within the UK due to long-term sicness has grown to more than 2.5 million. Conditions include anxiety, deprssion, chronic pain and disabetes. Cases of dementia are expected to rise 45% by 2040, heart failure by 92%, cancer by 31%, diabetes by 49%, chronic pain by 32% and anxiety or depression by 16%. This has a direct impact on businsses, their profitability and sustainability.
The Health Foundation have said “this reinforces the need for investment in general practice and community-based services, focusing on prevention and early intervention to reduce the impact of illness and improve the quality of people’s lives.” These projections are going to lead to an huge demand in healthcare and on the NHS, which is already under extreme pressure.
If you are looking to implement an Employee Benefits package to protect and prevent your employees and your business or are looking to review and update your policies then do not hesitate to contact BDHL for impartial knowledge advice on 01892 891900 or email enquiries@bdhl.co.uk
