Oldham MP reckons new evidence shows action is needed on health inequality ‘emergency’

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams, the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Health in All Policies, has highlighted three new reports published this week as “damning evidence” of the “emergency” in escalating health inequalities. 

In the first, ‘Health inequalities in 2040’, the Health Foundation reports that, on current trends, inequalities in health will persist over the next two decades with people in the 10% most deprived areas diagnosed with a major illness a decade earlier than people in the 10% least deprived areas.

Also very worrying are their forecasts that working-age ill-health will also continue with 80% of the increase in major illness among working-age people will be in the more deprived 50% of areas. 

The report hints at action for urgent intervention and the need for a cross-government approach to narrow these health inequalities, reduce economic inactivity and ease pressure on overstretched health and care services.

On the same day, the Child of the North APPG published a report on the shocking “deeply rooted social inequalities” experienced by a  disproportionate number of children living in care in the North of England.

In this, it reports although only 28% of the child population live in the North, 93 in every 10,000 children are in care in the North compared with 62 per 10,000 across England as a whole. 

The third report, ‘Valued’ from Oxfam and launched in Parliament this week, describes the growing poverty and inequality experienced by unpaid carers, and the impacts this is having on them financially, many being plunged into poverty, and ultimately affecting their health.

Prior to entering Parliament, Ms Abrahams served as a Public Health consultant and academic specialising in inequalities.

She entered Parliament in order to fight for the national change to reduce these inequalities and serves as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Health in All Policies. 

To address these inequalities this, this week Ms Abrahams has tabled an amendment to the Finance Bill which calls on the Government to undertake an assessment and publish the impacts of its recent Budget on poverty, inequalities and public health as part of a ‘health in all policies’ approach. 

Ms Abrahams said: “Report after report is showing our health is declining, leading to many people living shorter lives in good health, and others left caring for their sick and disabled loved ones themselves plunged into poverty.

“It is a damning indictment of 14 years of this Government, who have prioritised financial gain for the wealthy few before ordinary people, leaving a decimated NHS and other services struggling to cope with the enormous challenges they face.

“These health inequalities are not inevitable - they are down to political choices.

“The evidence we have seen from these reports this week follows on from Professor Sir Michael Marmot’s 10-year review of ‘Fair Society, Healthy Lives’ shows the impact on escalating poverty and inequalities on our health - one million more deaths, 148,000 directly related to austerity, people living in pain, unable to work.

"We are one of three countries where our life expectancy in the world is declining.

“Similarly, there is no natural law that that decrees a child living in the North of Engalnd should be more likely to live in poverty, more likely to live in care and more likely to suffer from a major disease than a child in the rest of England. 

"This is down to the political decisions over the last 14 years.

“This is a health and care emergency - for the individuals affected and for society as a whole.”

---

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.