Health in England


The Blair Government instituted a comprehensive programme to reduce health inequalities in England between 1997 and 2010 focused on reducing geographical inequalities in life expectancy. It was targeted at the Spearhead areas - the 20% of local authorities with the worst health and deprivation indicators. More NHS resources were directed to more deprived areas. The strategy was associated with a decline in geographical inequalities in life expectancy, reversing a trend which had increased over a long period.

Activity

A study by Public Health England in 2017 found that 41% of the 15.3 million English adults aged 40 to 60 do not walk for as much as 10 minutes continuously each month at a brisk pace. A quarter of the English population was found to be “inactive” – doing less than 30 minutes of activity per week.

Alcohol

The heaviest-drinking 20% of the population drink almost two thirds of all alcohol consumed.