The NHS has today released its annual Health Survey for England, 2024, used to estimate the proportion of people in England who have health conditions and the prevalence of risk factors and behaviours associated with certain health conditions.
The report finds that almost half (46%) of adults aged 16 and over had at least one longstanding illness or condition, while 26% of adults reported chronic pain, defined as experiencing pain most days or every day within the last three months.
This included a fifth (19%) of people aged 35-44, rising to 28% of those aged 45-54, and 36% of adults aged 55-64.
Meanwhile, 13% of adults reported chronic pain that interfered with their life or work activities most days or every day (defined as high-impact chronic pain), and 48% of adults had raised cholesterol.
Brett Hill, head of health & protection at independent financial consultancy Broadstone, said: "The findings in the survey come as little surprise as economic inactivity due to sickness grips the workforce and millions are being forced out of work due to chronic health issues and long-term illness.
"As the NHS struggles make any headway into its 7.3 million waiting list, it’s no wonder almost half of adults are grappling with a serious, chronic health issues as many are left untreated, leaving their conditions and their long-term health outcomes to worsen."
He adds: "With more than one in ten adults stating that their chronic pain is impacting their day-to-day lives, and chronic pain being reported most among those of working age, businesses have been stepping up to protect their staff and their productivity from this wave of sickness. Many now offer more holistic and generous employee benefit schemes which focus on preventative care to ensure conditions are identified and treated faster before they become more complex.
"Similarly, expanding coverage of employer PMI schemes has also been very popular, and while rising claims costs have pushed up the cost of providing PMI benefits, forward-thinking employers are again turning to ill-health prevention strategies to ensure their benefit costs remain sustainable.
"With the Keep Britain Working Review emphasising the crucial role employers could play in supporting the health of the UK workforce, we expect businesses to continue to ramp up these programmes, and we would urge to government to support businesses as they take pressure off the NHS and support economic growth, by considering tax exemptions for IPT and P11d on employee benefits that support a healthy workforce, and introducing financial incentives to put such benefits in place."
