Tackling Inequalities in Life Expectancy in Areas with the Worst Health and Deprivation

This report examines why the Department of Health had failed to meet its health inequalities target, the role of GPs, and the lessons of this for the new NHS. Inequalities in health outcomes between the most affluent and disadvantaged members of society are longstanding, deep-seated and have proved difficult to change. In 2004 the Government set the Department the target of reducing the gap in life expectancy between 70 'spearhead' local authorities with high deprivation and the population as a whole by 10 per cent by 2010. The Department has not met this target and has been exceptionally slow to tackle health inequalities. It is of great concern that inequality in health has increased and that the Department took nine years to establish tackling inequalities as an NHS priority. GPs are crucial to improving the health of people in the most deprived areas. However, in many of these areas the number of GPs per head of population is well below the number in more affluent areas. The Department missed an opportunity to use the revised GP contract to ensure more doctors work in deprived areas, and has not focused their attention sufficiently on implementing the key interventions that would make a difference. "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" (Cm. 7881, ISBN 9780101788120) set out the Government's long-term vision for the NHS, but it is important that tackling health inequalities does not slip down the Department's agenda whilst the proposed changes are introduced.