The disease of disparity: A blueprint to make progress on health inequalities in England

Article

Health inequalities are wide and widening in England.

Today, a child born in the most deprived part of the country can expect to die 10 years before a child born in the least deprived part of the country. They can expect to fall into poor health 20 years sooner – in just their mid-50s – and to live a far greater proportion of their life in poor health. This is unfair and unsustainable – and the scale of health inequality in this country is a key reason it lacked resilience when Covid-19 struck.

This report identifies six areas where policy incentives are misaligned with an ambition to tackle health inequality, and makes recommendations across the NHS and the socioeconomic drivers of poor health.

Combined, these provide a constructive plan to tackle the ‘disease of disparity’ in England – and to achieve the health, social and economic gains possible from addressing health inequality.

Related items

  1. The Home Office building in London

    A ‘paradigm shift’ in asylum and immigration policy?

    In 2019, a package of asylum reforms known as the ‘paradigm shift’ was passed by a broad party consensus in the Danish parliament.
  2. A wide shot of the debating chamber at the Scottish parliament

    A return north: reflections on IPPR Scotland’s tenth anniversary conference

    There’s nothing like moving away from Scotland to remind you just how Scottish you are. 
  3. Newcastle street view of famous bridge and buildings

    The evolution of devolution: How the English devolution and community empowerment bill can go further

    The government’s early commitment to broadening and deepening devolution in England is very welcome, but the bill must be bold enough to make change that people can see and feel.