About 15 million people in England have a long-term condition. Long-term conditions or chronic diseases are conditions for which there is currently no cure, and which are managed with drugs and other treatment, for example: diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis and hypertension.
Long-term conditions are more prevalent in older people (58 per cent of people over 60 compared to 14 per cent under 40) and in more deprived groups (people in the poorest social class have a 60 per cent higher prevalence than those in the richest social class and 30 per cent more severity of disease).
People with long-term conditions now account for about 50 per cent of all GP appointments, 64 per cent of all outpatient appointments and over 70 per cent of all inpatient bed days.
Treatment and care for people with long-term conditions is estimated to take up around £7 in every £10 of total health and social care expenditure.
Projections for the future of long-term conditions are not straightforward. The Department of Health (based on self-reported health) estimates that the overall number of people with at least one long-term condition may remain relatively stable until 2018. However, analysis of individual conditions suggests that the numbers are growing, and the number of people with multiple long-term conditions appears to be rising.