How do we reduce the life expectancy gap?

The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

Where you live could drastically impact how long you live.

According to the Office for National Statistics, a person in South Kensington, one of London’s wealthiest areas, can expect to live up to 16 years longer than someone in a more deprived area, like Blackpool.

In this episode, host Sarah Dawood is joined by a panel of guests to discuss the stark health inequalities across the UK.

- Jennifer Dixon DBE, CEO of The Health Foundation

- Jonathan Ashworth, CEO of Labour Together, former Shadow Secretary for Health, and former Labour MP

- Steve Brine, former Conservative MP, former Minister for Public Health and Primary Care, Chair of Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee, and host of Prevention Is The New Cure podcast

The panel discusses the social determinants, or building blocks of health, that shape health outcomes and life expectancy. They discuss the need for a cross-government approach to address these inequalities and highlight the urgency of meaningful, coordinated action to improve public health.

We also hear from Dr. Ronny Cheung, Consultant General Paediatrician at Evelina London Children’s Hospital and Officer for Health Services at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

This episode is sponsored by Health Equals, a coalition of 27 organisations campaigning to ‘Make Health Equal’. Visit www.healthequals.org.uk

Show references: Health at the heart of government https://www.health.org.uk/publications/health-at-the-heart-of-government

Health and social care select committee prevention inquiry https://committees.parliament.uk/work/7205/prevention-in-health-and-social-care/

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health – Child health inequalities and poverty toolkit https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/key-topics/child-health-inequalities-poverty

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