Life expectancy gap between nation's rich and poor still widening

A National Audit Office (NAO) report which focused on 70 of the most deprived areas in England found while life expectancy had gone up across the board, the difference compared with more affluent parts of the country was greater – 7 per cent for men and 14 per cent for women.

In 1995-97, men in poorer areas were expected to live 72.7 years, compared with 74.6 years in the rest of England.

By 2006-08 the life expectancy of men in these areas had risen to 75.8, but the average for men elsewhere had gone up to 77.9 years.

Women in poorer areas could expect to live to 78.3 in 1995-97, compared with 79.7 in the rest of the country. But by 2006-08, poorer women would live to 80.4 while their more affluent counterparts would, on average, live to 82.

The NAO said its calculations showed that since 1995-97 the gap between life expectancy of men in the poorest areas and the rest of England had increased to 7 per cent by 2006-08. The gap for women was 14 per cent wider at the end of the same period.

The figures come despite a Labour target in 2000 to reduce the difference in life expectancy by 10 per cent by 2010.

Today's report shows that although people are expected to live longer overall, the gap between deprived and wealthier areas has continued to grow

and the target is unlikely to be met.

The NAO report recommended three ways to reduce the gap; prescribing more drugs to control blood pressure and cholesterol and help people quit smoking. But these measures have not yet been used on a big enough scale and the report found more could be done.

NAO head Amyas Morse said: "We recognise that this is a very complicated issue and that it took time to develop an evidence base.

"However, the best cost-effective interventions have been identified and now must be employed on a larger scale in order to have a greater

impact and improve value for money."

The report found that despite the 10-year target, between 1995-97 and 2006-08 some primary care trusts (PCTs) in deprived areas only reduced their mortality rate by 17 per cent. Among them were Salford, Oldham, Nottingham City, Hull and Bradford.

Those to show the biggest reductions in mortality rates, by 23 per cent or more, included Northumberland, Warwickshire and Tower Hamlets.

Karen Taylor, director of health value for money at the Audit Office, said it had taken time for health inequalities to become an important part of NHS policy and planning, giving "little time" for actions to impact on the 2010 target. It was impossible to identify how much money had been spent tackling the problem, as PCTs were not allocated specific funding.