The Impact Of Winter Pressures On Different Population Groups In Great Britain: 22 November To 18 December 2022

30th January 2023

In-depth analysis on how increases in the cost of living and difficulty accessing NHS services are impacting people's lives during the autumn and winter months.

Almost a quarter of adults (24%) reported they were occasionally, hardly ever, or never, able to keep comfortably warm in the past two weeks; respondents experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (44%) and people using prepayment, or "top-up", meters for energy bills (41%) were more likely to report this.

Around 1 in 7 (15%) adults were somewhat, or very, worried their food would run out before they had money to buy more in the past two weeks; Asian (26%) and "Other ethnic group" (46%) adults, and people with one or more dependent children (25%), were among those more likely to report this.

Around 1 in 5 adults reported eating smaller portions (18%) and food past its use by date (18%); those experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (35% and 33%, respectively), adults with diabetes (26% and 24%, respectively), and those with one or more dependent children (20% and 22%, respectively) were more likely to report both.

Over two thirds (70%) of those who ran out food in the past two weeks, and couldn't afford to buy more, also reported being occasionally, hardly ever, or never, able to keep comfortably warm.

Around 1 in 5 (21%) adults reported they were waiting for a hospital appointment, test, or to start receiving medical treatment through the NHS; adults experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (48%), and those with a disability (37%) were more likely to report the wait had a strong negative impact on their lives.

Around 4 in 10 (39%) employed or self-employed adults who were waiting for NHS treatment reported that the wait had affected their work, including 26% saying they reduced their working hours and 7% went on long-term sick leave.

Almost a quarter (23%) of adults who needed to see a GP in the past month reported not being able to get an appointment; adults who experienced moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (30%) were more likely to report this.

Overview of the impact of winter pressures
This is the second in a series of publications reporting findings from our new Winter Survey. It provides an update to our Impact of winter pressures: December 2022 article, covering data from 22 November to 4 December 2022. This publication covers the period from 22 November to 18 December 2022, analysing a larger sample of adults. It highlights how different UK populations are being affected by current winter pressures.

In this article, we report particular estimates and differences between groups where these are statistically significant. In certain cases, differences between groups are not commented on, as wide, or overlapping, confidence intervals prevent us from knowing if these differences are statistically significant. Similarly, we may be unable to draw out existing differences between certain groups because of small sample sizes.

Impacts of the increase in the cost of living
We asked adults what actions they were taking because of the increases in the cost of living. Around half of adults reported spending less on food and essentials (45%). Around 1 in 6 (16%) said they were using more credit than usual. Around 3% said they were using support from charities, such as food banks, because of the increases in the cost of living.

Adults who were more likely to report spending less on food and essentials include those:

experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (63%)

paying energy bills by prepayment ("top-up") (59%)

renters (57%)

living in the most deprived areas in England (54%)

have one or more dependent children (52%)

Around 1 in 7 (15%) adults reported doing much, or slightly, less physical activity because of increases in the cost of living. In contrast, around 1 in 10 (9%) reported doing much, or slightly, more physical activity.

Because of the increased cost of living:

around 1% of adults reported smoking cigarettes (much or slightly) more, while 5% of adults reported smoking cigarettes (much or slightly) less

around 3% of adults reported vaping more, while 2% of adults reported vaping less

around 3% of adults reported drinking more alcohol, while 19% of adults reported drinking less alcohol

Of those who are currently taking prescription medication, 1 in 14 (7%) reported they were taking less medication to save on prescription costs.

Food insecurity
Food insecurity is the inability of households to acquire enough food to lead a healthy life. We adapted three questions from the "Household Stage 1" module of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) food security survey (PDF, 214KB). The aim was to understand the extent to which adults are worrying about food running out, and the proportion of people who report not being able to afford enough food or a balanced diet. Our survey found that:

around 1 in 7 (15%) adults were somewhat (10%), or very (5%), worried their food would run out before they had money to buy more in the past two weeks; however, 66% of adults were somewhat unworried (7%), or not at all worried (59%)

around 1 in 20 (5%) reported that their household had run out of food and could not afford to buy more in the past two weeks

around 1 in 10 (11%) said they tend to (6%), or definitely (4%), disagree with the statement "my household can afford to eat a balanced diet", while 75% of adults said they tend to (27%), or definitely (48%), agree

Those who were more likely to be somewhat, or very, worried their food would run out before they had money to buy more in the past two weeks include adults:

who were Asian (or Asian British) (26%) and of "Other ethnic group" (46%)

experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (37%)

living in the most deprived areas in England (29%)

with one or more dependent children (25%)

Those who were more likely to report running out food and being unable to buy more include adults:

experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (16%)

living in the most deprived areas in England (13%)

renting (11%)

with one or more dependent children (8%)

Those who were more likely to definitely, or tend to, disagree that they were able to afford a balanced diet include adults:

experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (26%)

who are very obese (24%)

living in the most deprived areas in England (20%)

who rent (20%)

Adults in the North East (64%) were also less likely to report being able to afford a balanced diet than adults in London (80%) and the South East (80%).

When adults were asked what they were doing to save money on food because of increases in the cost of living, around 1 in 5 reported eating smaller portions (18%) and eating food past its use by date (18%). Adults more likely to report both of these include those:

experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (35% and 33%, respectively)

renting (27% and 20%, respectively)

with diabetes (26% and 24%, respectively)

with a health condition (22% and 20%, respectively)

with one or more dependent children (20% and 22%, respectively)

Energy insecurity
Energy insecurity is the inability of a household to meet its basic energy needs, such as heating their homes and having a warm bath.

We asked adults how often they were able to keep comfortably warm in their homes in the past two weeks. Almost a quarter of adults (24%) reported they were occasionally, hardly ever, or never, able to keep comfortably warm (15% occasionally, 8% hardly ever, 2% never).

Adults who were more likely to report being occasionally, hardly ever, or never, able to keep comfortably warm in their home in the past two weeks include those:

experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (44%)

paying energy bills by prepayment (41%)

living in the most deprived areas in England (36%)

renting (36%)

Adults at risk of cold-related illness (23%) were just as likely as those not at risk of cold-related illness (24%) to report they were occasionally, hardly ever, or never able to keep comfortably warm. At-risk adults include those with health conditions, such as asthma or cardiovascular diseases, that could be worsened by cold weather, as defined in Section 8: Glossary.

Around 6 in 10 (58%) adults who were somewhat, or very, worried their food would run out before they had money to buy more and 70% of those who ran out food in the past two weeks, were also occasionally, hardly ever, or never, able to keep comfortably warm at home.

Around 6 in 10 (60%) adults reported using less fuel, such as gas or electricity, in their home because of increases in the cost of living. When these adults were asked how they were using less fuel compared with the same time last year:

more than 9 in 10 (95%) were using the heating less

around 4 in 10 (43%) were using the tumble dryer less

a similar proportion (42%) were using the washing machine less

just under 4 in 10 (38%) were bathing or showering less

In particular, those who were:

disabled (46% compared with 34% of non-disabled adults) and renting (48% compared with 33% of those who own their home) were more likely to report bathing or showering less

disabled (39% compared with 27% of non-disabled adults), living in the most deprived areas in England (40% compared with 25% in the least deprived areas), renting (42% compared with 28% of those who own their home) and using prepayment meters (47% compared with 31% of adults using other methods) were more likely to report cooking less

renting (14% compared with 4% of those who own their home) and using prepayment meters (22% compared with 7% of adults using other methods) were more likely to report not heating or reheating food until it's piping hot.

NHS waiting lists
We found that around 1 in 5 (21%) adults reported that they were waiting for a hospital appointment, test, or to start receiving medical treatment (henceforth NHS treatment) through the NHS. Of those waiting for an appointment, 67% reported that they had been waiting for up to 6 months. Around 10% reported that they had been waiting between 7 and 11 months, and 19% reported that they had been waiting for a year or longer.

Adults who were more likely to report waiting for NHS treatment include those:

with a disability (41%)

experiencing moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (34%)

at risk of cold-related illnesses (32%)

economically inactive, because of retirement (28%) or other reasons (32%) (see Section 8: Glossary for the definition of economically inactive)

Of those waiting to start NHS treatment, around 3 in 10 (28%) adults reported that they were waiting for more than one health condition. Around 1 in 14 (7%) adults said that they were waiting for an initial consultation with a specialist, or a planned follow-up consultation. Meanwhile, 6% were waiting for diagnostic tests and 4% were waiting for surgery.

GP waiting times
We asked respondents about their experiences with accessing a GP. Around 4 in 10 (37%) said they needed to make an appointment in the past month. Of these adults, around a third (32%) reported it was easy, or very easy, to make an appointment, while over half (52%) reported it being difficult or very difficult.

Adults who were more likely to report it being difficult, or very difficult, were also more likely to:

experience moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms (62%)

also be on an NHS waiting list (59%)

When asked about their experience in their last attempt to make a GP appointment, adults reported:

being offered only a telephone consultation when they wanted a face-to-face appointment (39%)

waiting too long for a GP appointment (37%)

difficulty contacting the GP practice (30%)

not being able to get an appointment (23%)

Adults who had moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were more likely to report not being able to get an appointment (30%). Adults on an NHS waiting list (17%) and disabled adults (16%) were more likely to report not being able to get an appointment with the GP they wanted to see.

Note
The above are extracts from the ONS report. To read it with more details and graphs go HERE