Doctors have raised concerns over a rise in Victorian diseases, such as scabies, and growing health inequalities caused by poor-quality housing, air pollution and access to transport.
A survey of 882 doctors by the Royal College of Physicians found nearly 90 per cent were concerned about the impact of health inequalities on their patients, while 46 per cent said that at least half of their workload involved illnesses linked to social factors - such as poor housing, education, and employment.
One doctor said they had seen patients over the past three months with diseases that were common in the Victorian era, such as scabies.
Scabies is an itchy rash caused by mites and spread through close skin contact, while erysipelas is a skin infection that can be treated with antibiotics.
According to NHS figures the disease is on the rise. There were 3,689 scabies cases diagnosed in hospitals in England in the year to April 2024, marking a 73 per cent rise on the previous year, when there were 2,128 cases recorded.
Doctors also highlighted cases of patients with hypothermia, which one said was due to the patient being unable to afford heating.
Dr Ash Bassi a consultant gastroenterologist based in Prescot, near Liverpool raised concerns that “damp and cold housing” causes “respiratory illnesses to become chronic conditions”.
He added that “food insecurity” means “poor nutrition contributes to longer-term health complications”.
“Poor uptake of screening programmes further exacerbates health inequalities. Patients struggling with unstable employment or financial hardship often delay seeking medical help, leading to more severe illness by the time they reach us,” he said.
The Royal College of Physicians has called on the government to set out how it will improve the health of the nation, prevent avoidable illness and reduce pressure on the wider NHS.
Dr John Dean, RCP clinical vice president, said: “The UK government came into office promising bold action on the things that make us ill in the first place. Now it must set out the detail of its health mission and how the mission delivery board will tackle the root causes of ill-health such as poor housing, employment, tobacco, obesity and air quality.”
He added that there are 2.5 million more people in England predicted to be living with a major illness by 2040 and stresses there is “no time to waste”.
“Everything from the places we live to the food we eat affects our health. Government must use its health mission delivery board to deliver a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities and address the social determinants of health,” Dr Dean said.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Through our Plan for Change, this government will tackle head on the appalling healthcare inequalities that exist within our systems.
“One of our core priorities is to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions in England.
“Our fundamental shift from sickness to prevention will play a vital role in tackling inequalities, making people healthier and reducing pressure on the NHS.”
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