Today, campaigning coalition, Health Equals, is calling on the next Government to fix the stark health inequalities that are cutting thousands of lives short across the UK every year.
Health Equals has launched the #MakeHealthEqual campaign to highlight the scale of the current inequality in life expectancies. With just eight days to go until the General Election, Health Equals is calling for the new Government to recognise the importance of the building blocks of health – stable jobs and pay, good quality and affordable homes, and neighbourhoods with green spaces and clean air – and make them a priority across Government.
50 babies feature today in the ‘youngest ever protest’ at London’s Southbank, crying out to be the first generation in the UK that won’t experience health inequalities and highlighting the full spectrum of life expectancies in towns and cities from across the UK.
We need to stop people dying too young because they don’t have essentials like a safe and secure home, enough income to live on or a good job."
John Hume
Chief Executive, People's Health Trust
New research published today commissioned by Health Equals, a coalition of 27 organisations including People’s Health Trust, Centre for Mental Health, Institute for Health Equity, Shelter, the Race Equality Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, revealed people with lower paid jobs were most likely to say that their income and housing were negatively affecting their health. Those in the lowest skilled occupations were nearly 70% more likely to say that housing is impacting their health, and nearly 50% more likely to say that low income is impacting their health, compared to those in the highest skilled occupations[1].
Paul McDonald, Chief Campaigns Officer, Health Equals, said:
“It’s scandalous that in the UK today where you’re born can cut your life short by as much as 16 years. Our health is shaped by the world around us – from the money in our pockets, to quality homes that are warm and safe, stable jobs and neighbourhoods with green space and clean air. But these essential building blocks of good health aren’t available to everyone. The time is now to call on the new Government to Make Health Equal.”
John Hume, Chief Executive of People's Health Trust said: We need to stop people dying too young because they don’t have essentials like a safe and secure home, enough income to live on or a good job. Our new government must urgently work to close this unjust gap by making the building blocks of health a priority across government.
For more on Health Equals and join the campaign visit their website or watch the campaign film. You can also sign the petition and write to your MP.
Find out more about People’s Health Trust’s asks for the new government in our Community Manifesto for Health Justice.
[1] Research conducted by Opinion Matters: figures calculated by comparing percentage increase in those who select ‘income' or 'housing’ as one of the top 3 factors negatively impacting health, between 'Casual or lowest grade workers, pensioners, and others who depend on the welfare state for their income' and 'Higher managerial, administrative or professional.