NHS Confederation responds to Health Foundation report projecting 2.5m more people in England will be living with major illness by 2040

Responding to the Health Foundation report showing that 2.5m more people in England will be living with major illness by 2040, Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation said:

“Health leaders will be concerned by the findings from the Health Foundation report that project the number of people living with major illness is set to increase from almost 1 in 6 of adults in 2019 to nearly 1 in 5 by 2040. This worryingly signals increased pressure and demand for the NHS and health leaders are clear that more needs to be done to prevent people from falling ill. A greater shift towards preventative health and care services will save money in the long run, improve population health and reduce health inequalities.

“We know that investment in health will support our ageing population to live well with illness, as well as support economic growth. Our analysis published last October highlights that a pound invested in health results in £4 back in wider economic activity.

“With 80% of the projected increase in people living with major illness affecting those aged 70 and over, supporting the social care sector will be vital to ensure effective and safe care is provided to patients so they can continue to live a healthy and fulfilling life.  Alongside the recently announced NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we urge the government to set out a long term plan for the social care workforce, in order to combat the social care vacancies and ensure staff are supported to provide quick and high quality care.

"Looking to the next twenty years, there is an opportunity to reassess the social contract between the government, the NHS and the public in order to support people as they age and their healthcare needs evolve.”