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Over the last 50 years, there have been impressive social economic and health improvements in this country. People from every class and region are healthier and living longer than ever before. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to share the benefits of these improvements. It is essential that everyone is empowered and encouraged to do so.
Health inequalities are unacceptable. They start early in life and persist not only into old age but subsequent generations. Tackling health inequalities is a top priority for this Government, and it is focused on narrowing the health gap between disadvantaged groups, communities and the rest of the country, and on improving health overall.
Concerted action to reduce the health gap permeates our programmes within the Department of Health and is supported across Government. The Health Inequalities Unit (HIU) is a small team in the Department of Health with a cross government focus. The work of the unit is shaped by a Public Service Agreement (PSA) target to reduce inequalities in health outcomes by 10 percent by 2010, as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at birth.
The documents below show the latest monitoring data for the two specific objectives relating to the 2004 health inequalities PSA target - infant mortality and life expectancy. The latest data shows that there has been, as expected, a widening of these inequalities reflecting the long-term trend. To review this data in a wider context, further information is available in Tackling health inequalities: 2004-06 data and policy update for the 2010 national target.
Health inequalities are the result of a complex and wide-ranging network of factors. People who experience material disadvantage, poor housing, lower educational attainment, insecure employment or homelessness are among those more likely to suffer poorer health outcomes and an earlier death compared with the rest of the population.
External websites relevant to redressing health inequalities in the UK.
Guidance documents and other publications about the Department of Health's drive to redress UK health inequalities.
Developed by the Department of Health and the Association of Public Health Observatories to help local health services in Spearhead areas improve life expectancy and meet the PSA target to narrow the gaps in life expectancy and infant mortality.
This document provides an update on progress to meet the health inequalities national target to reduce the gap as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy, by 10% by 2010. It includes an assessment of whether the 70 spearhead area local authorities, which map to 62 PCTs, are on track to meet the life expectancy target.
