The RCP has responded to the government’s Levelling Up White Paper.
In response to the publication, Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said:
“Today’s Levelling Up White Paper is big on ambition, but it lacks the substance – and funding - we were hoping for. This is particularly concerning given that poorer areas seem to still get less money than richer ones.
“We can’t ignore the fact that we have high levels of health inequality and preventable illness compared to other developed countries. The government has restated its commitment to improving healthy life expectancy, but we have a steep hill to climb just to get back to where we were in 2010. The UK is one of only two OECD countries whose life expectancy has fallen over the past 11 years.
“We eagerly await the strategy to address health inequality that will be in the white paper on health disparities. It’s promising to see the government showing an understanding of the drivers of ill-health and will be a real opportunity to turn talk into action. As we have been saying, along with the 200 members of the Inequalities in Health Alliance, we need a national strategy that shifts the focus from public health initiatives delivered through the NHS and local authorities to addressing factors such as poor housing, transport and food quality.”
Read the full Levelling Up White Paper here.