,<\/em> [2]\u00a0is that health and health inequality are important measures of the degree to which society is meeting fundamental human needs. Health is not simply related to health care, important as that is when people get sick, particularly for the elderly with multiple needs.<\/p>\nThere is evidence that social action to reduce health inequalities may work. The second piece of evidence is a report from the University of Liverpool that compared life expectancy in the poorest 20% of districts in England with the English average. In the 2000s the gap narrowed. It began to widen again after about 2012. The researchers took the, reasonable, view that it would take a little while for a New Labour government\u2019s explicit aim to reduce health inequalities to take effect. Hence, they didn\u2019t start the examination in 1997. Similarly, it would take a while for the Coalition government\u2019s change of direction to have impact. Thus, they looked from 2012 on, rather than 2010. [3]<\/p>\n
The third piece of evidence is from University of Manchester and documents the continuing and increasing health disadvantage in the North of England compared to the South. One striking finding is what happened in the 1980s. Mortality of young men went up and there was no North-South difference. Arguably, the scorched-earth industrial policies and the steep rise in unemployment led to an increased suicide rate in young men. But the South\u2019s health recovered much more quickly than did the North\u2019s. [4] It is likely that the continuing social and economic disadvantage in the North is playing a key role. [5]<\/p>\n
It is tempting to attribute these health problems to particular government policies. Tempting, but wrong. For example, the great credit crunch bit deep in Britain. Real wage growth 2007-15 was slower in the UK than in all other European countries, bar Greece. That causes real social and economic problems, but could it effect mortality at older ages where the majority of deaths occur? I don\u2019t have an answer to these questions but I am writing to Jeremy Hunt urging him to address these problems in the nation\u2019s health. It is urgent.<\/p>\n
Michael Marmot<\/strong>,\u00a0UCL Institute Health Equity.<\/em> Twitter:\u00a0
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Alarm about the nation\u2019s health is a rational response to recent evidence. Current health problems should be treated with as much urgency as a winter bed crisis in the NHS. The recent evidence has three components, probably linked. Improvement in life expectancy, going on for 100 years, has slowed since 2010. Second, health inequalities, which probably became smaller during the 2000s, have grown again since about 2012. Third, there is a persistent North-South divide in health\u2014particularly marked among younger people.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stg-blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2017\/09\/marmot_fig1.png\")
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