The increase in NHS waiting lists is unlikely to be connected to the recent surge in health-related benefits claims, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Between 2019 and 2024, the number of adults receiving health-related benefits in England increased by 40%, while the waiting time for hospital care increased by 86% from 10 weeks to 19 weeks.
While it has been suggested that these two facts are related, research by the IFS suggests that there is ‘no clear relationship’ between changes in NHS waits and changes in benefit claims.
Iain Porter, senior policy adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, commented: ‘Waiting times for treatment and people in need of disability benefits are both indicators that the nation’s health is in need of serious attention.’
He added: ‘[T]his work suggests that longer waiting times for elective hospital treatment are not the driving factor behind growing need for disability benefits. It’s imperative that we understand and tackle the underlying social and economic causes of poor health.’
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