Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps with Cabinet colleagues to tackle health inequalities that stem from income inequality.

People’s lives and their health are shaped by issues such as poverty and income, education, employment, and housing and environment. This was recognised in ‘Prevention is better than cure: our vision to help you live well for longer’, published in November 2018. This vision illustrates how prevention can help us meet the Ageing Society Grand Challenge Mission, as set out by the Prime Minister last year as part of our Industrial Strategy. The Government’s ambition is to ensure that people can enjoy five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest areas. A Prevention Green Paper will set out our further plans.

Public Health England and NHS Rightcare have produced tools and evidence to help commissioners understand the health of their populations and the issues driving inequalities in local areas. The NHS Long Term Plan has also set out action with all major programmes and every local area being required to set out specific measurable goals and mechanisms to reduce inequalities over the next five and 10 years.