Are we a healthy nation?

[El Cid]

Just looking at some figures

 

There were 31.80 million people in work(Nov 2016), little changed compared with June to August 2016 but 294,000 more than for a year earlier.

 

Disability living allowance claimants 2,987,000(2015/16)

 

Roughly 10% of working age adults are not working because they are unable due to illness.

That seems like quite a lot to me, and it could be even higher.

 

https://www.ifs.org.uk/bns/bn13.pdf

[melthebell]

as im aware our work / homelife is worse than other nations too?

[onewheeldave]

 

Roughly 10% of working age adults are not working because they are unable due to illness.

 

If that figure includes disabled people, then bear in mind that many would love to work (if only to escape the degradation and fear that is part and parcel of claiming benefits when disabled), but, due to prejudice from society and employers, are unable to do so.

[I1L2T3]

It’s a curious one.

 

Remember that putting large numbers of people permanently on the sick was a policy the Tories developed in the 1980s.

 

It’s part of our culture now. There’s almost two generations that have been indoctrinated into it.

 

Now it seems that after inventing this culture in the first place now the Tories don’t like it. Of course they’ll know many people on long term disability should never have been on it - they deliberately institutionalised the incentives to go on it in the first place.

[cgksheff]

"18% of working age adults are disabled"

 

https://www.scope.org.uk/media/disability-facts-figures

[El Cid]

"18% of working age adults are disabled"

 

https://www.scope.org.uk/media/disability-facts-figures

 

The 10% is a low estimate, but someone with a missing finger could be described as disabled, yet perfectly able to work.

Some disabled people do work, even from a wheelchair.

[Cyclone]

Just for the record, being able to work doesn't make you healthy.

The discussion about work/not work is not particularly indicative of whether the nation is healthy or not.

[El Cid]

Just for the record, being able to work doesn't make you healthy.

The discussion about work/not work is not particularly indicative of whether the nation is healthy or not.

 

There is always a persons weight, but some like to think that they can be fat and fit.

We are living longer, but people are claiming that does not mean that they can work for longer, because they are healthier. I disagree.

[Cyclone]

The criteria was health wasn't it? Not fitness.

 

Being capable of work doesn't make someone healthy. Lots of people with all kinds of health issues can work, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, chronic lack of fitness (which leads to ill health rather than being ill health itself) diabetes, arthritis.

[El Cid]

The criteria was health wasn't it? Not fitness.

 

Being capable of work doesn't make someone healthy. Lots of people with all kinds of health issues can work, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, chronic lack of fitness (which leads to ill health rather than being ill health itself) diabetes, arthritis.

 

Lets not argue about the meaning.