Growing health gap exposed between Scots rich and poor

●People in most deprived areas four times more likely to die prematurely

The gap in “premature” death rates between Scots living in affluent and deprived parts of the country has reached a ten-year high, it has emerged.

People in Scotland’s poorest communities are more likely to die from heart attacks, cancer and alcoholrelated illness and to die young than those in better-off areas, according to official research.

The findings have been branded a national “shame” by opposition parties, but the public health minister insists that progress has been made in a number of areas.

There are “significant health inequalities” in several health areas, according to the latest long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities report.

The figures also show the poorest 10 per cent of Scots were four times more likely to die prematurely,

before the age of 75, than their more affluent counterparts.

In 2018, the rate of premature death was found to be 820 per 100,000 for the most deprived, compared to 210.6 for the least deprived, the highest difference between the two since 2008.

The figures come on the same day the NHS released figures on strokes in Scotland, which found a 52 per cent increase in deaths from the condition in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived in 2018. The death rate for strokes and other similar conditions is more than 50 per cent higher in Scotland’s poorest communities.

Public health minister Joe Fitzpatrick said: “While this report confirms that progress has been made in reducing inequalities across a number of health indicators, it remains a stubborn reality that those who live in the most deprived parts of Scotland continue to live less healthy lives than those in the more affluent parts of the country.

“We remain focused on addressing the underlying causes that drive health inequalities, which has income inequality at its heart.

“Our bold package of measures to help tackle key issues such as smoking, obesity, inactivity and alcohol misuse will support people to live longer, healthier lives.

“We are also tackling the wider causes of health inequalities through measures such as investing in affordable housing, providing free school meals and continuing commitments like free prescriptions, concessionary travel and free personal care, as well as investing millions to mitigate the worst impacts of welfare reforms and to protect those on low incomes.”

Despite the gap between the two, the figures for both levels of deprivation have reduced since the first report in 1997.

The initial statistics show the rate for the most deprived was 1,031 compared to 382.3 for the most well-off.

Scottish Labour health minister Monica Lennon claimed continuing inequalities were down to “complacency” on the part of the Scottish Government. She said: “This persistent level of health inequality shames a nation that is as wealthy as ours. The data consistently shows that people living in the poorest areas are more likely to have poor health and die younger.

“It beggars belief that, in 2020, your postcode can still be the determining factor in your quality of life.”

She added: “This is a result of years of complacency from SNP ministers and lack of investment in our communities, and must be a wake-up call to the health secretary to ramp up efforts across government to end these shameful health inequalities.”

The report also found the poorest in the country to be more than 20 times more likely to be admitted to hospital for a drug related problem than the most affluent. The number of drug admissions has almost tripled since 1996-97, to 624.5 per 100,000 in 2017-18 – compared to just 29.2 for the richest.

The gap has also almost tripled since the first report, from 203.5 to 595.3.

Scots from more deprived areas are also four times more likely to be admitted to hospital for alcohol-related issues compared to people from the wealthiest areas.

A Liberal Democrat health spokesman said this reality was “destroying lives on a terrible scale”.

He said: “It was wrong for the SNP to cut the budgets of specialist alcohol and drug services by more than 20 per cent in 2016. More recently they have been handed two years of real terms cuts, making it harder to save lives and help people move past drug and alcohol misuse.

There were, meanwhile, a total of 3,835 deaths in Scotland in 2018 when cardiovascular disease was the underlying cause, although the overall mortality rate is down over the past decade by 12 per cent.

Jane-claire Judson, chief executive at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, called for more support for community-based projects like its community hubs.

“It’s unacceptable that people who are living in communities right next to each can have a drastically different life expectancy and can be at greater risk of developing chest, heart and stroke conditions,” she said.