The 26 million: how to care for people living with long-term health conditions

How should we think of the 26 million people in the UK living with a long-term health condition? Under the current system, only a handful of long-term conditions are prioritised. This leads to a huge strain on NHS resources and capacity later down the road, as long-term health conditions comprise 50 per cent of all GP appointments and 70 per cent hospital bed days. What's more, 2.5 million working-age adults are out of the labour market because of long-term sickness.

How do we better make the NHS – and politicians – accountable to these patients? With treatment and care of patients with long term conditions estimated to take up around £7 in every £10 of total health and social care expenditure, we urgently need fresh thinking to grasp the scale and scope of this challenge. 

Isabel Hardman hosts this special episode of Spectator Briefings with a panel of expert guests:

Guy Opperman MP, Minister for Employment

Lord Nick Markham, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for the Lords) - DHSC

Richard Sloggett, Founder – Future Health Research

Georgina Carr, Chief Executive – Neurological Alliance

Todd Manning, VP and General Manager – Abbvie UK

Developed in association with and funded by AbbVie.