MPs condemned as ‘avoidable ill-health’ rises unequally

Addiction Economy thought for Today - nice to see pressure focused on constituency MPs after new report identifies declining health inequalities in local councils.

"Dozens of MPs, including former prime minister Liz Truss, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and former health secretary Steve Barclay have been criticised after new analysis revealed people in their constituencies are “suffering avoidable ill-health and living shorter lives than they should”.

One of the world’s leading health equity experts, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, has written a damning letter to 58 MPs across England to highlight “particularly concerning health trends” in their constituencies.

New analysis, by academics from the Institute of Health Equity at University College London (UCL), highlights which local areas are “falling behind” when it comes to health."

....

“It is no surprise that local authorities are struggling to make ends meet and that people are living shorter lives than they should,” Sir Michael said.

“If you slash the services that support people then health will be harmed. Levelling up was supposed to provide badly-needed funding for the most deprived areas. But it was a derisory amount and, as a result, never going to improve health.”

Sensible stuff.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-13369157/Leading-MPs-condemned-constituents-suffer-avoidable-ill-health.html