Are People in the UK Getting Sicker Than the Rest of Europe?
- Brainz Magazine
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 21 hours ago
Berta Kaguako is the Co-Founder and Managing Director for EthVida, a patient educational platform that promotes plant medicine and a holistic healthcare approach. As a patient herself, Berta has made a remarkable transformation, using cannabis based medical products to manage 7 diagnoses and 50+ symptoms. And now advocates for plant medicine.
Chronic illness is increasing globally, but for many people living in the United Kingdom, becoming unwell can feel almost inevitable, and obtaining a clear diagnosis can seem nearly impossible. When comparing the UK’s healthcare pathway with those in countries such as Germany, France, Poland, and Turkey, a striking pattern emerges.
UK patients routinely end up sicker by the time they are diagnosed.
The diagnostic thresholds are the same, but access to diagnosis is not.
Holistic care has been stripped away, replaced by rushed appointments and over-prescribing.
Importantly, this situation is not the fault of patients, nor is it entirely attributable to clinicians, many of whom are working under immense pressure. What we are witnessing is the consequence of systemic strain, and it is individuals living with chronic illness who bear the brunt.
The following sections explore how and why this happens.
1. The diagnostic threshold isn’t higher in the UK
…but accessing it is another matter entirely.
Across Europe, the diagnostic criteria for complex conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders are based on internationally agreed standards. For example, the score required to diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis, six out of ten, is identical in the UK, Germany, France, Poland, and Turkey.
Yet despite these shared criteria, UK patients are often diagnosed significantly later, frequently after prolonged periods of deterioration and uncertainty. The issue is not the threshold itself, but the pathway to reaching it. In the UK, obtaining the investigations necessary to meet diagnostic criteria can take considerably longer.
For instance:
essential blood tests, including anti-CCP antibodies or inflammatory markers, may not be ordered promptly in primary care,
referrals to rheumatology, gastroenterology, or other specialist services can involve waiting lists stretching from several months to several years,
conditions such as hypermobility or hEDS require specialist assessment that is often limited or unavailable, leading to further delays.
In countries like Germany or France, patients frequently have more direct access to specialists, allowing diagnostic investigations to begin much earlier. In contrast, UK patients must first navigate the GP referral system, a system currently under immense pressure, with limited appointment capacity and growing demand.
2. The 10-minute GP appointment is breaking the system
Ten minutes is rarely sufficient to diagnose a chronic illness. It is not enough time to explore the full picture, examine multiple joints, review current medications, discuss lifestyle or dietary factors, assess mental health, and identify the underlying patterns that often signal a complex condition. Clinicians are acutely aware of this limitation, and patients feel it deeply. In the end, both sides lose.
Rushed consultations contribute to a cascade of problems, including:
missed or overlooked symptoms,
delayed referrals to specialist services,
an over-reliance on prescribing rather than investigating,
fragmented and inconsistent care, and
emotional fatigue for both patients and clinicians.
This environment encourages a quick fix approach, not because doctors lack compassion or commitment, but because they are operating within time frames that make thorough assessment nearly impossible.
By contrast, in healthcare systems such as those in France, Germany, and Turkey, appointments are typically longer, and access to specialists is more direct. These structural differences alone can have a profound impact on the timeliness and accuracy of diagnosis, and ultimately on patient outcomes.
3. GP burnout: A silent crisis with loud consequences
GPs are leaving the profession at unprecedented rates, and levels of burnout across primary care are increasingly severe. Many clinicians are emotionally exhausted, working far beyond their intended capacity, and attempting to meet rising patient demand with diminishing resources.
When a GP is overwhelmed, several consequences naturally follow:
there is less time and cognitive space for deep analytical thinking,
emotional bandwidth for exploring complex or ambiguous cases is reduced,
clinical decisions may default more readily to quick responses, safety-netting advice, and prescriptions,
subtle early indicators of autoimmune, inflammatory, or multisystem conditions may be overlooked.
Burnout does not make a clinician unskilled or uncaring. However, it does make the diagnostic process more difficult, slower, and considerably more fragile.
4. The decline of holistic healthcare: From whole-person to quick prescription
Perhaps the most under-reported consequence of systemic pressures in the UK is the erosion of holistic, integrated care. For decades, interventions such as:
acupuncture
physiotherapy
mind-body therapies
lifestyle and nutrition support
stress-focused rehabilitation
community health programmes
were considered legitimate and valuable components of patient care.
Today, many of these services have been quietly removed, dismissed as pseudo-science, or defunded, despite thousands of patients reporting meaningful improvements and a growing body of evidence supporting certain complementary therapies, particularly for pain management, stress reduction, and chronic disease management.
So, what has taken their place?
The result is often over-prescribing, not generally out of negligence or lack of care, but often because the system leaves clinicians with few alternatives within a ten-minute consultation.
By contrast, healthcare systems in Germany and France continue to integrate complementary therapies into mainstream care. In Turkey, interventions such as acupuncture, physiotherapy, and herbal medicine are frequently incorporated into standard treatment plans.
The UK, however, has largely taken the opposite approach: a narrower, faster, and more cost-driven model, and the consequences for patient outcomes are evident.
5. What this means for UK patients: sicker, later, and left to fight harder
When diagnosis is delayed, the consequences are profound and cumulative:
Rheumatoid Arthritis can cause irreversible joint damage before treatment even begins.
Patients with Crohn’s disease may endure years of painful flares before diagnostic procedures, such as colonoscopy, are authorised.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome often becomes a catch-all label for symptoms that warrant more thorough investigation.
Hypermobility and hEDS frequently go unrecognised until injuries, chronic pain, and fatigue reach severe levels.
As a result, many patients experience feelings of being gaslit, exhausted, discouraged, and invisible. Too often, they internalise the blame, believing they are at fault for the system’s inability to identify their condition.
They are not.
6. So, are people in the UK getting sicker?
The problem is not rooted in biology, but in systemic barriers.
When these factors are considered together, delayed referrals, brief consultations, the removal of holistic care, an over-reliance on prescriptions, clinician burnout, reduced continuity of care, long waiting lists, and limited access to multidisciplinary teams, the result is a population that is not only undertreated but often chronically unwell before treatment even begins.
In contrast, countries that offer faster access, longer consultations, preserved holistic care, a higher number of specialists, and more integrated healthcare systems consistently achieve earlier diagnoses and superior long-term outcomes.
7. What patients can do: Empowerment, not blame
The message is not to give up, quite the opposite. You are not imagining your symptoms. You are not weak. You are not being dramatic. The system is under strain, but you still deserve answers and compassionate care.
Here are practical steps patients can take to advocate for themselves:
Keep detailed symptom logs: Specialists take thorough records seriously.
Attend appointments well-prepared: Document key symptoms, timelines, red flags, and prior tests.
Bring a companion: Two sets of ears reduce the likelihood of missed details.
Request copies of all test results: You have the right to access your own medical information.
Advocate for referrals when appropriate: Persistent or worsening symptoms warrant escalation.
Use reputable complementary approaches alongside medical care: Mind-body therapies, pacing, nutrition, stress management, and physical therapy can be valuable tools when used wisely, they are not pseudo-science.
Rest when your body needs it: Chronic illness is real, and giving your body support is essential.
Empowerment comes from understanding your health, documenting your journey, and advocating for care, even when the system is imperfect.
Takeaway: The system may be broken, but you are not
If you live in the UK and feel as though you are constantly fighting for a diagnosis, for validation, and for appropriate care, know this, you are not alone, and your experience is real. This article is for every patient who has been dismissed, delayed, or left to deteriorate while waiting for answers.
You deserve timely recognition of your condition.
You deserve comprehensive, thorough care.
You deserve a healthcare system that acknowledges your whole self, not just your symptoms.
For those seeking guidance on applying a holistic approach to health, ethvida.com/education/ offers a comprehensive platform to help patients and caregivers get started. The resources available provide practical strategies for integrating mind-body therapies, nutrition, stress management, and other complementary approaches alongside conventional medical care.
Empowering yourself with knowledge is an important step in advocating for your own health and navigating the healthcare system more effectively.
Read more from Berta Kaguako
Berta Kaguako, Health and Social Care Consultant
Berta Kaguako is a Health and Social Care Consultant, with an Undergraduate in Psychotherapy and a Master's in Psychoanalysis. Berta’s background is in Mental Health, Substance Misuse and Children & Families, in both a therapeutic and senior management capacity, having won 3x Blooming Strong Awards (Recognition from UN for contribution to violence against Women). Berta is also the Co-Founder and Managing Director for EthVida, and independently runs the wellbeing service/educational platform.
References:
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Aletaha, D., Neogi, T., Silman, A. J., et al. (2010). 2010 Rheumatoid Arthritis Classification Criteria: An American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism Collaborative Initiative. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 69, 1580–1588.
NICE (UK). (2020). Rheumatoid Arthritis in Adults: Management (NG100). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease / Crohn’s
Gomollón, F., Dignass, A., Annese, V., et al. (2017). 3rd European Evidence-based Consensus on the Diagnosis and Management of Crohn’s Disease 2016. Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis, 11(1), 3–25.
European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). (2019). ECCO Guidelines on IBD.
IBS
Drossman, D. A., et al. (2016). Rome IV Diagnostic Criteria for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. Gastroenterology, 150(6).
NICE CKS. (2023). Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Diagnosis.
Hypermobility / hEDS / HSD
Malfait, F., Francomano, C., Byers, P., et al. (2017). The 2017 International Classification of the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C.
Castori, M., et al. (2017). Diagnostic Criteria for Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD). American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C.
2. UK Healthcare Access, GP Pressure, and Burnout
Sansom, A., Terry, R., Fletcher, E., & Salisbury, C. (2022). Why do GPs leave direct patient care and what might help to retain them? The British Journal of General Practice, 72(721), e375–e383.
General Medical Council. (2022). The State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK.
Baird, B., Charles, A., Honeyman, M., Maguire, D., & Das, P. (2016). Understanding Pressures in General Practice. The King's Fund.
British Medical Association (BMA). (2023). GP Workload and Burnout Survey.
3. International Healthcare Access Comparisons
OECD. (2023). Health at a Glance: Europe. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
European Commission. State of Health in the EU – Country Health Profiles (UK, Germany, France, Poland, Turkey).
4. Holistic/Complementary Therapies Context
(These references establish that several holistic approaches have recognised evidence bases and are not categorised as pseudo-science in clinical literature.)
Vickers, A. J., et al. (2012). Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(19), 1444–1453.
Wieland, L. S., et al. (2017). Yoga for Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) – NCCIH. (2023). Complementary, Integrative, and Alternative Medicine Evidence Summaries.
5. Impact of Delayed Diagnosis on Patient Outcomes
Stack, R. J., et al. (2019). Delays in Help-Seeking at the Onset of the Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Care & Research.
Rubin, D. T., et al. (2019). The Challenge of Delayed Diagnosis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 25(5).
Terry, R., Perry, R., & England, E. (2015). Exploration of Diagnostic Delay in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. British Journal of General Practice.
6. Over-prescribing in the UK
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (UK). (2015). The Problem of Overdiagnosis and Overprescribing in Primary Care.
Department of Health & Social Care (UK). (2021). National Overprescribing Review Report.
NHS England. (2022). Tackling Overprescribing: Good Practice Guidance.
7. Appointment Length and Impact on Diagnosis
Irving, G., et al. (2017). International Variations in Primary Care Physician Consultation Time: A Systematic Review. BMJ Open, 7(10).(The UK average is one of the shortest in Europe.)
The Commonwealth Fund. (2020). Mirror, Mirror 2020: International Comparison of Health Care Systems.
8. Access to Specialists Across Countries
European Observatory on Health Systems (2023). Health System Reviews – Germany, France, Poland, Turkey, UK.
OECD (2019–2023). Waiting Times for Specialist Care – International Dataset.
