Serious regional health inequalities in North are stunting economic growth, landmark report finds

The government needs to fund more swimming pools, libraries and green spaces across Yorkshire to tackle serious regional health inequalities, a major report has found.

IPPR’s cross-party Commission on Health and Prosperity - chaired by top surgeon Lord Darzi and Prof Dame Sally Davies - has said that austerity and Covid have left the UK as the “literal sick man of Europe”.

It found that long-term health conditions are rising, healthy life expectancy is stagnating and there has been a growing mental health crisis.

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For the first time in around 200 years, children are not guaranteed to live a much longer, healthier life than the generation that came before them.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, is one of the commissioners. Credit: Danny Lawson/PA WireAndy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, is one of the commissioners. Credit: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, is one of the commissioners. Credit: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

The commissioners, who include Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, found that the UK’s worsening public health crisis is linked to the country’s faltering economic performance.

They say that “better health is the most important medicine our economy needs”, with Labour saying growth is the main focus of the new government.

Bound up with all of the issues are regional health inequalities between the North and the South East which are intensifying, exacerbated by a growth in economic inactivity.

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Chris Thomas, head of IPPR’s Commission on Health and Prosperity, told the Yorkshire Post: “The challenge of health leading into the economy is almost always presented as a national issue when it’s super highly localised.

“When we mapped out sickness and economic inactivity there are some pretty substantial hotspots.

“They tend to be places in the North of England that have been deindustrialised, or are experiencing deindustrialisation.

“When we break that down regionally, that steers towards Yorkshire and the Humber having higher rates of economic activity and higher rates of sickness than the South of England, particularly the South East.”

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Mr Thomas explained how the commission has recommended targeted health and prosperity improvement zones in the most health-deprived areas to rebuild local infrastructure.

This could include more GP practices, although Mr Thomas said: “I do think we’re missing a trick of how important wellbeing infrastructure is.”

He explained that IPPR is calling on more spaces which help prevent sickness and poor health, like swimming pools and parks.

As well as that, the commission has said the government needs to focus more on prevention of ill health.

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It’s calling for greater taxes on “health polluters”, including tobacco, alcohol and fast food companies, which could fund fruit and vegetable subsidies.

The commission said there should be a new neighbourhood health centre in every part of the country, and a health index to monitor progress.

Regarding children, it pressed for universal free school meals, the restoration of Sure Start and an end to the two-child benefit cap.

Mr Burnham said: “As the report concludes, we will never be able to treat our way to a healthier nation.

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“The time has come for the UK to become much more serious about prevention.

“Devolution in England is the game-changer we need to make this possible and improve the health of the nation.

“Combined authorities are breaking down the Whitehall silos and piloting new whole-person, whole-places approaches to health creation.”

The Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has indicated that the government will be looking at the report “closely”.

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“I have valued engaging closely with the Commission on Health and Prosperity,” Mr Streeting said.

“I want to make the Department for Health and Social Care a department for economic growth, because we won't build a healthy economy without a healthy society.

“The IPPR are at the forefront of this approach, and I look forward to studying their ideas closely.”

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