Impact of health conditions requiring hospitalisation on earnings, employment and benefits receipt, England: April 2014 to December 2022

26th June 2025

The change in earnings, probability of being a paid employee and probability of benefits receipt attributable to having a major condition requiring hospital admission, compared with a reference period before the hospital admission.

There was a consistent loss of earnings, a lower probability of being in paid employment, and a higher probability of receiving benefits for all major health conditions over the five years after first hospital diagnosis, compared with the reference periods before hospital diagnosis.

The conditions with the highest total loss of earnings for individuals over the five years following hospital diagnosis were stroke (£18,785 in 2023 equivalent prices), chronic kidney disease (£14,721), and heart failure (£10,446).

The probability of employment reduced most in the fourth year after hospital diagnosis for those diagnosed with stroke (12.1 percentage points), chronic kidney disease (9.4 percentage points) and heart failure (7.7 percentage points).

The conditions with the greatest increase in probability of benefit receipt in the fourth year after hospital diagnosis were chronic kidney disease (16.3 percentage points), stroke (14.0 percentage points), and heart failure (12.2 percentage points).

Rd the full ONS report HERE