Life expectancy gap between rich and poor widens

The gap in life expectancy between the rich and poor has widened, despite targets to reduce inequality by 2010, according to the government’s auditor.

All four of the targets announced by the previous Labour government are likely to be missed, a report by the National Audit Office suggests. Life expectancy in 70 areas with high levels of deprivation and poor health has improved, but not as fast as the rest of the population, with the gap between the two growing by 7% rather than shrinking by 10% as targeted.

Life expectancy in these poorer areas now stands at 75.8 years for males and 80.4 years for females. The male population as a whole can expect to live to 77.9 years, while females have a life expectancy of 82.

The report from the audit office concludes that NHS commissioners must more carefully target initiatives to tackle health inequality. These might include the implementation of services to help reduce smoking or therapies to control blood pressure. Other recommendations include greater investment in the prevention of health inequality.