Earlier this week, Liz Twist MP chaired a roundtable of the All-Party Parliamentary Health Group discussing health inequalities. This was in light of the recently-founded Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. 

We heard from expert speakers:

• Sir Andrew Goddard, President of the Royal College of Physicians
• Professor David Taylor-Robinson - Professor of Public Health and Policy at the University of Liverpool and co-lead of N8/NHSA Child of the North initiative

We heard that the pandemic has accelerated issues that were already growing before 2020 and laid bare the inequality of health outcomes. There are stark differences in life expectancy between people living in more and less deprived areas.

Now, the cost-of-living crisis could exacerbate these issues, with people facing impossible decisions. Can I afford to take a day off work to attend a hospital appointment? Can I afford to keep my home medical equipment running in the face of ever-higher energy bills? 

The Inequalities in Health Alliance is looking to tackle this. Government is also making some progress with the Health Disparities White Paper. Many healthcare professionals are passionate about tackling this too. 

Thank you to everyone who attended our roundtable discussion and in particular to our chair and speakers. Keep up to date with the work of the APHG on the website.