PEOPLE in poverty find it harder to get NHS care on time and are more likely to depend on expensive emergency treatments, according to a new report published today .

Analysis by health charity the King’s Fund found people living in poverty find it “harder to live healthy lives, harder to access NHS services, live with greater illness and die earlier than the rest of the population.”

According to the report, 30 per cent of those living in the most deprived areas have been forced to visit A&E, call 999 or go to a walk-in centre as they cannot get a GP appointment, compared with 10 per cent living in the least-deprived areas.