HEN Directors comment on new ONS figures on Healthy Life Expectancy

New figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a decrease in Healthy Life Expectancy in England and clear geographical divide.

The new figures show the number of years of good health someone can expect to enjoy if they were born in 2022-24.

Richmond upon Thames in London had the highest healthy life expectancy for females born in 2022-24, at 70.3 years – more than 19 years longer than Hartlepool, which had the lowest figure at 51.2 years.

For males born in 2022-24, Richmond upon Thames again had the highest figure at 69.3 years, more than 18 years longer than Blackpool, at just 50.9 years.

The difference between the highest and lowest local healthy life expectancies in England has widened sharply in the past decade.

The gap for women has grown from 14.8 years in 2012-14 to 19.1 years in 2022-24, while for men it has increased from 14.5 years to 18.4 years.

Commenting on OLS figures showing a decrease in healthy life expectancy, Hannah Davies, Executive Director of Health Equity North, said:

“Sadly these deeply concerning figures on a decrease in healthy life expectancy are not a surprise. We know over the past decade and a half the North has seen disproportionate cuts in areas which support good health – notably in welfare support, Sure Start centres, the public health grant, and through the implementation of the two child limit which has driven child poverty.

“Following on from this, the Covid19 pandemic hit the North of England harder – from initial mortality rates through to a greater impact of Long Covid in the region. Then we saw devastating cost-of-living rises which again hit the poorest and those in the North harder. Unsurprisingly these factors have also driven poorer mental health outcomes in the region.

“All these issues have had an impact on this decrease in healthy life expectancy – and the huge regional inequalities within them, largely aligned to the most deprived areas, should be seen as deeply shameful for the nation.

“Not only is it shameful but this poorer health drives many of the issues around poor productivity in the workforce including youth unemployment and premature retirement. Our Health Equity North reports show that people in the North stop working due to ill health, whereas in the South people choose their retirement. The cost of poor health in the North is conservatively estimated at £18.2bn a year. Women in the North of England give £10bn worth of unpaid care each year, despite being more likely to be unwell themselves, £2bn more than in the rest of the county. And children and young people growing up in poverty are more likely to suffer worse mental and physical health for the rest of their lives.

“Improving healthy life expectancy for all should be a non-party political issue but to do that we need to recognise as a society that its roots lie in poverty and deprivation. Helping people out of that, not punishing them for being in poverty, is the way forward.”

Professor Kate Pickett, Academic Co-Director of Health Equity North and Professor at the University of York, said: “These latest figures are a stark illustration of the parlous state of our population health and our failure to tackle poverty and inequality – the root causes of poor public health.  The regional differences in healthy life expectancy are a disgrace – this should be a wake up call to politicians to get serious about the transformations we need.”

Dr Luke Munford, Academic Co-Director of Health Equity North and Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester, said: “Healthy life is shrinking in the UK—and the postcode gap is widening. A girl born in Richmond can expect nearly two decades more good health than one born in Hartlepool. That is a systemic inequality, not an inevitability.” This isn’t about individual choices—it’s about unequal exposure to the building blocks of health: secure incomes, quality housing, good work, and clean, safe environments.

If we want to reverse this decline, reforming the NHS is necessary but not sufficient. We need a serious, long‑term health inequalities strategy that invests in the social determinants of health, targets resources to places with the greatest shortfalls, and holds the system to account for closing these gaps—not just treating the consequences.”

You can read more about the findings from the ONS here: Healthy life expectancy, UK – Office for National Statistics.