Organisations representing hundreds of thousands of health and care professionals, and the millions who use their services, warn that so many people are routinely going without the essentials it poses a serious risk to the UK’s health.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, representing medical professionals working in a range of fields, alongside the NHS Confederation, British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing and more, express their worry that, as the high prices of everyday essentials like food and housing persist, too many people are expected to live with what can be devastating knock-on consequences.

As well as not being able to afford enough food and other essential items, health and care practitioners say they see people forced to miss hospital appointments because they can’t afford the bus fare. Others observed people missing or reducing their medication because they can’t afford the prescription.

Many health and care services are already stretched to breaking point and preventative action to reduce future demand is woefully missing.

They are joining the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Trussell Trust, and other leading charities to call for an “Essentials Guarantee”, a new law to make sure Universal Credit’s basic rate is always at least enough for people to afford the essentials.

Last year, Trussell Trust food banks provided a record high number of food parcels to people facing hunger – nearly 3 million food parcels, including more than a million for children.

JRF’s own analysis shows the weekly Universal Credit standard allowance is £35 less than the cost of essential items for a single person, contributing to millions of people forced to use food banks because they can’t make ends meet.

Recent JRF research found around nine in ten low-income households on Universal Credit are going without at least one essential like food or a warm, dry home. 2.7 million low-income households (23%) reported having a poor diet as a result of high prices over the last two years.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director, Age UK said, ‘Over the last year we have heard from significant numbers of people in their fifties and sixties who have been forced to make quite drastic cuts to their standard of living, impacting what they can buy to eat and drink, how warm they are in winter, and the extent to which they can afford to go out and about and have any kind of social life. It is also not unusual for them to tell us that they had always been prudent with their spending, and they never dreamed they would have to count the pennies at this time in their lives. Their disappointment and distress is often palpable and we worry hugely for many of these people’s mental and physical health. That’s why we support the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Trussell Trust campaign for an ‘essentials guarantee’ – it would make a world of difference to a lot of people in their run up to retirement, for whom daily life is currency stressful and bleak.’

Andy Bell, chief executive, Centre for Mental Health said, ‘Poverty is toxic to our mental health. Not being able to afford the essentials of life puts the mental health of adults and children at risk, with serious immediate and longer term consequences. And as the prevalence of mental health problems rises, it’s more important than ever that we tackle one of the biggest risk factors people face in the UK today. We wholly endorse the Essentials Guarantee and call on the Government to act now to save people’s mental health and protect the wellbeing of future generations.’