MPs told: ‘Cornish not living as long as they should be’

ALL six of Cornwall’s MPs are among a list of dozens of elected officials who have been criticised after new analysis revealed people in their constituencies are “suffering avoidable ill-health and living shorter lives than they should”.

One of the world’s leading health equity experts, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, has written a damning letter to 58 MPs across England to highlight “particularly concerning health trends” in their constituencies.

His list of MPs includes Derek Thomas (St Ives), George Eustice (Camborne and Redruth), Cherilyn Mackrory (Truro and Falmouth), Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay), Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall), and Scott Mann (North Cornwall).

New analysis, by academics from the Institute of

Health Equity at University College

London (UCL), highlights which local areas are “falling behind” when it comes to health.

Researchers examined every local authority in England to plot levels of health, inequalities in health, and cuts in their spending power. They identified 17 local authorities with statistically significant increases in inequalities in life expectancy between 2010-12 and the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sir Michael has written to the 58 MPs whose constituencies lie wholly or partially in these areas.

They include former prime minister Liz Truss, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and former health secretary Steve Barclay.

“We need you to fight for all your constituents’ health. They are suffering avoidable ill-health and living shorter lives than they should due to poor policies and cuts to essential services,” he wrote.

He has also written to the leaders of all major political parties demanding action.

In his letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Sir Michael, who published a seminal review into health inequalities in England in 2010, said austerity and funding cuts have “harmed health and worsened health inequalities” and that life expectancy is “stalling” which is a “tragic waste”.

The analysis, using data from the Office for National Statistics, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the National Audit Office, concluded that people’s health has deteriorated, health inequalities have widened, and the north-south health gap has increased. Key findings from the new report include:

» Areas where life expectancy inequality “significantly increased” between 2010-12 and 2017-19 include Rotherham in South Yorkshire and Kensington and Chelsea in London for females, and County Durham and Cornwall for males.

» Inequalities in life expectancy increased nationally between 2010/12 and 2017/19. Inequalities in life expectancy for women increased significantly in the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East of England, East Midlands, and the South West. For men, they increased in the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the East of England.

» Since 2010, cuts to local authorities meant their spending power per head of population had fallen by an average of 34% across England by 2019/20.

» Healthy life expectancy – how long a person can expect to live in good health – is improving across Europe, but is getting worse in the UK.

“It is no surprise that local authorities are struggling to make ends meet and that people are living shorter lives than they should,” Sir Michael said. “If you slash the services that support people, then health will be harmed.”

❝❝ We need you to fight for all your constituents’ health

Professor Sir Michael Marmot