Thank you to those who have contacted me about the importance of addressing health inequalities to create the building blocks of a healthier and happier society.
I agree that health inequalities are a major blight on the country. Evidence shows the UK is no longer making progress on people living well and there are huge inequalities across England. Right now, the poorest 60 to 64-year-olds have the same level of ill health as the richest 90-year-olds and those born in poorer parts of the country will have vastly different health outcomes from those born in healthier areas.
We need a fairer Britain where everyone lives well for longer. I believe we must create a healthy society and functioning health system which not only reduces deaths from the biggest killers, but also ensures that people can enjoy their life to the fullest without major health issues holding them back.
I support plans to transform the NHS to address health inequalities. We need an NHS workforce expansion to address the shortage of medical professionals that particularly impacts poorer areas. I believe we should allocate a proportion of the new medical school places in under-doctored areas, to address inequalities in access to healthcare – because one of the strongest indicators of where doctors practice is where they train.
We need to address the structural inequalities at the heart of many issues, by improving training, and incentivising continuity of care. This must be combined with ambitious goals such an explicit target to end the Black maternal mortality gap which sees Black women in the UK four times more likely to die whilst pregnant.
Furthermore, I believe we need to focus on prevention to tackle the social inequalities that influence health. I support the introduction of cross-departmental working with a mission delivery board at the heart of government to ensure that we are addressing those wider determinants of health. I also believe that we can go further on the legacy of creating a smoke-free Britain, integrating ending smoking into routine care. I believe that people want to take responsibility for their own choices – and that it is the government’s role to ensure that they have the power and information to do so.
