Cross Cutting Review of Tackling the causes of Health Inequalities

On 25 June 2001, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Smith, announced seven initial cross-cutting reviews that will contribute to the Spending Review 2002 including a review into tackling the causes of health inequalities.

This review, led Minister for Public Health Yvette Cooper, will advance Government’s objective of narrowing the health gap in childhood and throughout life between socio-economic groups and between the most deprived areas and the rest of the country; and in particular to help ensure that the Government delivers its national health inequalities PSA targets for life expectancy and mortality of children under one year:

1. Developing the evidence base

building on consultation currently being undertaken by DH, to collate and evaluate the available evidence about the contribution that high quality public services across central and local government can make to tackling the causes of health inequalities;
to establish a map of available resources and public services that will help tackle the causes of health inequalities;
to identify the main obstacles arising from existing patterns of resourcing and service provision to delivery of the PSA health inequalities targets;

2. A strategy for delivery

in the light of the evidence base, to develop a cross-governmental strategy for tackling the causes of health inequalities, that will help ensure delivery of the PSA targets;
to make recommendations as necessary for better matching existing resources, and any proposed changes in departmental baselines in relevant areas, to health need in the NHS and across government;
to establish a basket of indicators for monitoring progress against the PSA targets.

Further information can be obtained from:
Katherine Morgan
Health Team
HM Treasury
1 Horse Guards Road

tel: 020 7270 5494
E-mail Katherine Morgan. Hard copies of this document are available from the Department of Health.

The document Tackling Health Inequalities is available below in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF). If you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer you can download the software free of charge from the Adobe website. For alternative ways to read PDF documents and further information on website accessibility visit the HM Treasury accessibility page.

Cross Cutting Review of Tackling the causes of Health Inequalities

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