Johnson pledges to target health inequalities
Alan Johnson makes the comments in his first major speech as health secretary
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Wednesday, 12, Sep 2007 08:20
The health secretary Alan Johnson has admitted that the government should be doing "much more" to tackle health inequalities and has pledged to boost access to care during his time in government.
In a speech to the New Health Network today, Mr Johnson will say that he has two responsibilities as health secretary: "to improve the health of the whole nation, and to ensure that the health of the poorest improves the fastest".
He is to say that although there have been "undoubted improvements in patient care over the past five years" the government must now "ensure that these improvements reach everyone, using our unprecedented investment combined with increased efficiency".
"Life expectancy and infant mortality rates have all improved in the last decade," he will say.
"However, the depressing truth remains that we have not made enough progress in reducing health inequalities."
His comments come a day after a report by Sir Derek Wanless for the King's Fund thinktank claimed that despite record levels of investment the NHS is not currently on track to becoming a first class health service.
The report highlighted problems with productivity and widespread unhealthy lifestyle choices.
According to Mr Johnson, a man living in Manchester is likely to die nine years before a man living in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and infant mortality amongst low skilled workers is almost twice that amongst professionals.
A strategy will be published next year by the Department of Health aimed at reducing such health inequalities.
The main focus of this will be improving access to healthcare for people from deprived communities and to shift the nation's approach from being treatment orientated to being prevention orientated.
"Public health issues must be elevated to the top of the national agenda by a Department for Health which takes an even more active role in encouraging healthy lifestyles," Mr Johnson will say today.
"We must break the links between lack of wealth and poor health: giving everyone the chance to contribute fully to society, whether they are born in a council estate or on a country estate."