A BLEAK picture of Britain as “the sick man of Europe” — with almost three million workers suffering long-term illness — has been presented in a damning new report.

The report, published yesterday as part of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)’s Commission on Health and Prosperity, warns the country’s problem of long-term illness has reached “historic proportions.”

It reveals that should long-term sickness continue to grow at the rate it has since 2020, 4.3 million people would be off work by the time of the next parliament.

It has been co-chaired by England’s former chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies and Lord Ara Darzi, who recently led a hard-hitting review into the state of the NHS for the government.

Now, the new IPPR report also highlights how long-term illness is impacting productivity and the labour supply.

Records show that in 2019, 1.9 million people were “economically inactive” through long-term illness.

In 2023 the figure was 2.9 million — an increase of 900,000.

In addition to the suffering caused to workers, the report says the additional “economic inactivity” in 2023 could have lost the Treasury up to £4.5 billion in tax.

The report also suggests that better population health could save the NHS £18 billion a year.

“The term the ‘sick man of Europe’ is often used to describe countries going through severe economic turmoil or social unrest,” the report’s authors wrote.

“In Britain today, it has become a more literal reality.”

They said people were staying sicker longer and faced worse health throughout their lives from childhood to retirement and beyond.

“That is, the nation’s health challenges have reached historic proportions,” they added.

Proposals in the report include new neighbourhood health centres in every part of the country and more tax on so-called “health polluters” such as tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food companies, to raise money that could fund new health schemes.

The report also recommends universal free school meals, the restoration of Sure Start centre funding and an end to the two-child limit on benefits.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “These numbers speak for themselves: after 14 years of the Conservatives’ failures, we are now sicker and poorer.  

“This epidemic of long-term ill health comes at huge personal cost for those unable to work — addressing it must be a national priority.” 

He said the report highlighted the importance of Labour’s promised Employment Rights Bill.

“Importantly, workers will be able to get sick pay from day one, rather than having to drag themselves into work when they are ill because they’re not entitled to sick pay,” he added.

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea also highlighted the “years of punishing austerity” that has had a dreadful impact on the NHS, other essential services and the public.

“Covid didn't help but, in truth, the damage had been done long before then,” she said.

“With too few health workers to meet the growing demands of an ageing population, the result has been lengthy waits for NHS operations and treatment.

“This has left hundreds of thousands of working-age people languishing at home and an economy in the doldrums.

“The health of the nation won’t improve until the UK has a health and social care workforce with sufficient staff to make people well again, get the sick back to work and care for their elderly relatives.

“That means seeing essential services not as a drain on the public purse, but as a driver of economic growth. Get this right and everyone’s a winner.”

Lord Darzi said: “Our Commission was among the first to identify the rising sickness as a major and immediate post-pandemic fiscal challenge. 

"Now, as the government sets up its health mission, our final report provides a ready-made policy vision for a new approach to public health.”

Prof Davies said the government should “prioritise a new beginning on childhood health.”

She added: “We simply should not tolerate decline in our children’s health any longer — it is time for bold action to ensure a health inheritance for future generations.”

The Department of Health and Social Care was contacted for comment.