The health inequality gap

Despite the continued rise in life expectancy, it is well documented that the gap between richest and poorest has actually been widening in recent years.The health inequality gap in Britain is greater than it was during the Great Depression. Researchers from Sheffield and Bristol looked at early death rates since 1921. They found the current gap was greater than it was in the 1920s and 1930s. These decades cover probably the toughest economic and social period of the 20th century.Living standards had been driven down by low wages and high unemployment. At one point a fifth of the workforce was unemployed.

Health inequalities had started narrowing until the 1970s but since then the gap has widened, particularly during the last 20 years.The pledge by the previous Labour government to reduce the inequality gap between 1997 and 2010 is almost certain to be missed.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, a leading health inequalities expert said:"Over the last decade, life expectancy for the bottom quarter of the population increased significantly, but their health did not catch up with the average, because of persisting social and economic inequalities."

While lead researcher Professor Danny Dorling said "Health and wealth are directly linked... we could well see life expectancy actually starting to fall for the first time in the poorest areas."