Almost two-thirds of UK employees (62%) say they are still finding it difficult to book a doctor’s appointment and as a result have self-treated.

The Britain At Work report by Health Shield Friendly Society also found most workers (81%) remain worried about pressure on the NHS, with more than a fifth (21%) “very worried”.

The risk here for employers is of workers either being forced to take time off work unnecessarily or being under-par while at work because of also managing a health condition that has not been properly treated or managed.

Access to healthcare

People increasingly being forced to budget for private healthcare

Better off more likely to have access to employer healthcare

As well as the 62% who struggle to access a GP, more than half of the 975 adults polled (54%) said they found it difficult to get an NHS dentist appointment.

A similar percentage of women (53%) reported difficulty accessing healthcare. Nearly half of those polled (47%) said they had self-treated as a result, rising to 59% for women.

The same percentage (47%) who needed dental care said they found it difficult to pay for it, and 41% said they had “suffered” because of a lack of access to healthcare.

Drilling down into the research, more women (84%) than men (77%) said they were affected by a lack of access to healthcare and anxiety about the NHS.

Two-thirds (66%) of female employees were finding it difficult to get a doctor’s appointment compared to 58% of men.

More women too (59%) were self-treating because of a lack of access to healthcare compared to men (39%).

Generationally, the most pronounced challenges were reported by Millennials, who were most likely to struggle to book a GP appointment (65%), resort to self-treatment (49%), and suffer because of a lack of healthcare (49%).

Paul Shires, director at Health Shield, said: “These stark figures show that access to NHS services has become a struggle for many employees, with delays often forcing individuals to manage their health independently.

“It’s not clear exactly how people are self-treating. For some, it may simply be a visit the pharmacist or choosing an over-the-counter solution. For others, it may be a bigger concern, but it’s a trend that should be watched closely.

“Overall, these results reveal not just a national issue but a workplace challenge, as employee anxiety about healthcare access can impact both morale and performance,” Shires added.

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