Health Secretary
welcomes goals for the next decade
A major report on tackling health inequalities for the next 10
years and beyond was welcomed today by the Secretary of State for
Health, Andy Burnham.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot of University College London was
asked by the Government to provide a clear set of short, medium,
and long term objectives to inform how health inequalities can be
dramatically reduced.
The report “Fair Society, Healthy Lives” is a thorough and
comprehensive analysis of health inequalities in England today and
it identifies key areas for future action. It will help set the
direction beyond current targets, for the next 10 years and
beyond.
Health Secretary Andy Burnham said:
“I would like to thank Sir Michael Marmot and his team of eminent
experts, for this review. It builds on previous highly influential
reports commissioned by the Government from Sir Douglas Black and
Sir Donald Acheson and will help us put in place a strategy to
continue to tackle health inequalities over the next decade.
“It is not right that where we live can dictate the state of our
health. Everyone should have an equal chance at good health. I am
passionate about getting to the heart of this issue and ensuring
that young people can look forward to the same life expectancy
regardless of where they are born. This report will help us make
that historic achievement.
“Sir Michael has previously acknowledged our tremendous
achievements – that the health of everyone has significantly
improved over the last 10 years, and infant mortality is at an
all-time low.
“The report shows us there is still much to do – so we are
looking to all corners of the community to work together and
address the wider causes of poor health and reduce health
inequalities. This report gives us a new and challenging agenda –
based on the best available evidence - for the next 10 years and
beyond.”
Key achievements in reducing health inequalities have meant that
there are now more than two million fewer adults who smoke
compared to twelve years ago; there are signs that childhood
obesity rates are levelling off thanks to initiatives like the
Healthy Child Programme; and the Government has provided
additional funding for our most poorly served and disadvantaged
areas with better access to primary care and GP-led health centres.
The Government welcomes the report and
supports the focus on tackling the root causes of ill health and
inequality to build on what has already been achieved. This means
following through on the current national health inequalities
target on infant mortality and life expectancy which runs to the
end of 2011
acknowledges the challenge posed by a social gradient - the
lower a person’s social position, the worse his or her health.
Tackling health inequalities requires a cross-government response
and the involvement of all key stakeholders to reduce the gradient
in health;
recognises the potential of initiatives that give extra
attention to tackling disadvantage, especially in the early years.
The Government’s efforts in adopting this approach – through, for
example, Family Nurse Partnerships – are acknowledged in the
report;emphasises that both economic growth and improved health
and well being are crucial measures of the country’s success.
Action cannot be ignored even in the current economic climate;
recognises that health inequalities sit alongside other social
factors such as climate change and sustainable communities.
Walking or cycling and the availability of green spaces will have
benefits across all of society; and
stresses that any future strategy will need to take full account
of the different aspects of health inequalities as well as social
class. These include gender, ethnicity, area, age and disability
and strongly affect health and life chances.
Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo said:
"The Marmot Review recognises the key role played by
children's centres in reducing health inequalities and I
welcome the focus on the early years. It is Government's
priority to support all new parents and give every child the best
start in life. That's why we are establishing more
children's centres with more effective outreach to the
most disadvantaged families. We are on track to achieve our target
of 3,500 children's centres by March 2010. By 2011 we
will be investing over £1billion a year directly to support
services in children's centres and we have committed to
providing a named health visitor for each children's centre.
"Over the last decade we have made substantial progress
in narrowing the gap between children from disadvantaged
backgrounds and the rest - the average achievement for those
pupils has risen more sharply than for others. And obesity levels
amongst two to 10 year olds are at the lowest level since 2001.
"We are building on this with the successful Healthy
Child Programme, providing more early intervention to all families
from pregnancy to five years of age, with more guidance for
parents so that they make healthy choices for their family. We are
also making sure that the poorest families benefit from the free
entitlement to early learning and childcare."
Notes to Editors
1. For further information please contact the DH press office on
020 7210 5221.
2. The independent review was announced on the 6 November 2008 by
the Prime Minister at the Closing the gap international
health inequalities conference and commissioned by the Secretary
of State for Health. The purpose of the report was build on
current work by informing the development of a post-2010 cross
government health inequalities strategy.
3. It was carried out by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, one of the
world’s leading experts on health inequalities. The review builds
on a range of evidence including from the World Health
Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health
Commission – also chaired by Sir Michael. Other evidence consulted
by the review included Tackling Health Inequalities: 10 Years
On (DH, 2009) which set out the government’s record since the
Acheson report on health inequalities and Health
Inequalities (2009), the report of the Health Select
Committee.
4. England is one of the first countries to explore how the
global evidence from the WHO report can help take forward the work
on tackling health inequalities in the long term.
5. Health inequalities was reaffirmed as a national target for
England in the new Departmental Strategic Objective structure for
the Department:
By 2010 to reduce inequalities in health by
10% by 2010 as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at
birth i.e.
· starting with children under one year, by 2010 to reduce by at
least 10 per cent the gap in mortality between the routine and
manual group and the population as a whole. The baseline is
1997-1999;
· starting with Local Authorities, by 2010 to reduce by at least
10% the gap in life expectancy between the fifth of areas with the
“worst health and deprivation indicators” (the Spearhead Group)
and the population as a whole. The baseline is 1995-1997.
6. The latest data for 2006-08 showed that life expectancy in
England and in the spearhead group is at record levels.
· for men in England, life expectancy has increased from 74.6
years at baseline (1995-97) to 77.9 years in 2006-08, compared to
men in the spearhead group where life expectancy has increased
from 72.7 years to 75.8 years.
· for women in England, life expectancy has increased from 79.7
years at baseline to 82.0 years in 2006-08, compared to women in
the spearhead group from 78.3 years to 80.4 for men.
7. The relative health inequalities gap between England and the
spearhead group was for men 7% wider than at baseline, and for
women 14% wider than at baseline.
8. The latest data (2006-08) show that 47% of spearheads are on
track to narrow their own life expectancy gap with England by more
than 10% by 2010 compared to the baseline for either males,
females or both. The spearhead areas which are showing encouraging
signs where life expectancy is increasing faster than the England
average include:
· In Southwark, the gap in female life expectancy with the
England average has not only narrowed, it has closed completely.
In 1995-97, female life expectancy in Southwark was 78.7 years; in
2006-08, it was 82.4 years - higher than the England average life
expectancy for women of 82.0 years.
· In Manchester, despite having low life expectancy, the life
expectancy gap for men is closing. In 1995-97, male life
expectancy in Manchester was 70.1 years; in 2006-08, it was 73.8,
an increase of 3.7 years (compared to the England average increase
of 3.3 years).
9. Infant mortality rates are at an all time low having fallen in
England from 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1997-99 to 4.5
deaths per 1,000 lives births in 2006-08 for all jointly
registered births. For the routine and manual (target) group the
rates has fallen from 6.3 in 1997-99 to 5.2 in 2006-08. The gap
between the routine and manual group and the whole population is
16%, wider than at baseline (13%) but it has fallen back from 19%
in 2002-04.
10. The Government is committed to tackling inequality and
has a long and successful history of doing so. Despite our
progress, the report from the National Equality Panel, published
last month, showed that your family background and the place you
are born still have a huge influence on your outcomes in life.
The socio-economic duty in the Equality Bill will ensure
public bodies such as health authorities look at ways of reducing
the effects of inequality, and Marmot's detailed analysis
of health inequality will help everyone in public life achieve
this.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk