It’s time to close the UK’s life expectancy gap

By Callum Crozier, Joint Managing Director

Where you are born should not determine how long you will live. Unfortunately, this is becoming an increasing reality in the United Kingdom.  

Our country has a lottery of birth, where the location a child is born can predict how long they will live with high accuracy.  

The health gap we are faced with in this country is stark. Based on current data, it can be expected that a male born in Blackpool will live ten fewer years than those born in Hart; and a female born in Blaneau Gwent will live seven fewer years than those born in Kensington & Chelsea.  

While there is a clear 'north-south divide' across the country in terms of average life expectancy, there are clear inter-regional and demographic & ethnicity related disparities that call for a more nuanced understanding.  

This 'upstream' nature of health inequalities is placing clear 'downstream' pressure on the NHS. A report by the Red Cross, 'Nowhere Else To Turn,' identified that people from the most deprived areas of the country were most likely to be in poor health and attend A&E most frequently.  

This is to the extent that patients who attend A&E more than five times per year represent 16% of total attendances, and almost a third of all ambulance journeys and hospital admissions at the cost to the NHS at least £2.5 billion a year.  

In a developed nation, not least a nation with the sixth highest GDP in the world, this should not be the case.  

The current political football of health is not particularly helpful in addressing these realities. At the upcoming general election we can see the headline messaging from the Prime Minister related to health as 'cutting NHS waiting times' and from Labour we see a mission on 'getting the NHS back on its feet.'  

While both are critical and much needed - and the NHS obviously needs to reduce its waiting times, become more efficient and improve clinical outcomes – this is not reaching the root cause of wider health inequalities across the UK.   

These respective political ambitions of reducing waiting times and reforming the NHS need to fit into a wider, holistic national health strategy that looks to address the root causes of preventable sickness and disease that is the advent of health inequalities across the UK. A more preventative, upstream and long-term approach can reduce future health problems that are highly correlated with social background and deprivation. 

In our work on the Breaking Down Barriers Commission, a newly launched programme within the Purpose Coalition, we are focusing on how we can develop a clear strategy on breaking down barriers to health and wellbeing across the UK.  

This will be focusing on three key areas, among others as it develops: 

Getting beyond the ‘sticking plaster’ approach  

We’ll be seeking to ensure that across political parties, politicians and policymakers begin to develop a wider national health strategy that goes beyond sticking plasters solutions of cutting NHS waiting lists and efficiencies, but begins to recognise, target and solution the 'upstream' health inequalities throughout communities across the UK.  

This will require additional initial resource, but will have social return on investment as well as fiscal relief in the long-term.  

Businesses are helpful partners in supporting employee health & wellbeing 

We want to ensure that business is seen as a critical partner in developing this national health strategy and breaking down barriers to health and wellbeing.  

With 82% of those employed across the UK working in the private sector - coupled with the reality that people often spend more time at work than they do with their families - businesses can be a key steward of the health and wellbeing of their employees.  

Understanding of positive health and lifestyle choices  

A joined-up approach in the education system that seeks to promote 'healthy' lifestyle choices, whether in the classroom, or supporting new parents in making the right choices for their young children in the critical developmental ages of 0-4. 

Turning the tide  

In this crucial election year, there is no better time to encourage a renewed approach to the health of our nation and the divides that exist.  

Our mission is to ensure where you are born does not determine how long you will live, nor how well you live those years.  

The inequality of life expectancy is one of the most dangerous and critical problems we face as a country.  

It’s time to turn the tide and set out a clear plan on how we can close the UK’s life expectancy gap.