Scarlett McNally: We need to talk money to retain our NHS

It used to be considered impolite to talk about money, but times are tough. Poverty causes ill health,1 and six million people in the UK—10% of the population—are in “very deep poverty,” with one million children in “destitution.”2 Living in the most deprived 10% of areas means having 26.4 years of ill health, which compares with 15.6 years in the least deprived.3A third of working age adults in employment have at least one long term medical condition,4 and 2.6 million people are unable to work because of long term sickness—up by 500 000 since the covid pandemic started.5 This is a double whammy for the economy: every person who is too sick to work no longer pays income tax, but they still need their healthcare, social care, benefits, and living costs covered. Keeping the NHS free at the point of delivery, and accessible to those without the means to pay,…
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