One in three people have missed work in the past year because they were waiting for an NHS appointment.
Over half (54%) of young adults aged between 18 and 34 said they had taken time off work because of delays. The Liberal Democrats, which commissioned the polling, warned that the crisis in the health service is damaging economic growth.
A survey found that 36% of working adults had missed work in the last year while waiting for a medical appointment or treatment. Almost a fifth (19%) said they had been unable to go to work while waiting for a GP appointment, 12% said they had taken time off while waiting for an emergency dental appointment, while 15% had been off work for a lengthy period whilst waiting for NHS treatment or surgery.
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Sarah Olney said: “It’s outrageous that so many patients have been left to suffer as a result of this Conservative Government’s neglect. Thousands of people are waiting an appalling length of time to start treatment, with countless more desperately trying to get hold of their GP to no avail.
“Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt’s failure to get a grip on the crisis in our NHS is having a detrimental effect on the entire country. Millions battling health conditions have been left in limbo and our economy is suffering as a result. This Conservative Government cannot continue to turn a blind eye. It’s clear that growth is not possible unless we first tackle the ever-growing NHS treatment and GP backlogs that are holding millions of people back and having a devastating impact on quality of life.”
The Liberal Democrats is calling for an emergency £13billion investment in the NHS that would deliver new GPs, cut waiting times and improve mental health support. The NHS waiting list stands at a record high of 7.77million, according to the latest figures.
Savanta interviewed 2,235 UK adults online between November 10 and 13.