‘I’d love to go back to work’: UK’s missing workers on their budget expectations

theguardian.com:

When chancellor Jeremy Hunt urged people over 50 who have dropped out of the workforce since the pandemic to get off the golf course, Julie*, 52, from Hertfordshire, “laughed out loud”.

Julie has been waiting over a year for a knee replacement operation so she can get back into employment. She is one of many unable to work due to long-term illness who will be looking to the chancellor to provide much needed funding to tackle NHS waiting lists in his budget speech on Wednesday.

She was an early-years specialist teacher before leaving her job in August last year due to ill health.

“I have severe osteoarthritis in both knees and ankles. I loved my job, but I physically couldn’t do it any more. My leg can give way at any point, the pain is extreme. I’m currently living off savings, waiting and waiting for surgery.”

After dislocating her knee in November 2021, Julie has had several appointments cancelled, was mistakenly booked in to see a physiotherapist rather than a surgeon on more than one occasion, or was forgotten about entirely by her local hospital.

“It’s total chaos. I naively thought I could take a year off, as I’ve been on the list for a knee replacement since July 2022, and then go back to work in some capacity this September.

“But that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

”

Julie eventually saw a consultant surgeon last month to discuss her operation.

“My surgery is now likely going to be in June or July, at the earliest, followed by three months of recovery and rehab, at least.

“I’ll have run out of savings by then. If Jeremy Hunt could sort me an appointment for surgery, I’d love to go back to work, I would do any job really.”

Julie is one of dozens of people who got in touch with the Guardian to share that they have