{"id":3766,"date":"2022-09-30T15:44:57","date_gmt":"2022-09-30T15:44:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/?p=3766"},"modified":"2022-10-20T08:39:54","modified_gmt":"2022-10-20T08:39:54","slug":"has-the-government-given-up-on-its-health-ambitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/integratedcarejournal.com\/has-the-government-given-up-on-its-health-ambitions\/","title":{"rendered":"Has the government given up on its health ambitions?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid the ongoing response to the government\u2019s remarkably misguided mini-budget, recent announcements from DHSC have flown somewhat under the radar of national media. But last Friday’s postponement of the health inequalities white paper is a reflection of a 12-year-old government who have become devoid of long-term strategic thinking in health and care. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Much like how Mr Kwarteng\u2019s budget is being criticised for seeking a short-term growth boost while sacrificing economic stability, Ms Coffey\u2019s health announcements so far seem to be aimed at garnering public support in the short term, and fail to into account the long-term causes of ill health and the enduring challenges facing the sector. <\/span>Our Plan for Patients<\/span><\/i>, Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Coffey\u2019s first stab at a plan for health and care, is receiving as much attention for what it misses as what it includes, with glaring omissions around workforce strategy and health inequality.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last week it was reported <\/span>that new Health and Care Secretary intends to postpone, and potentially scrap, the publication of the long-awaited government health inequalities white paper. It is estimated that health inequalities cost the UK \u00a331 billion to \u00a333 billion per annum before Covid-19 and the paper was a key part of Boris Johnson\u2019s leveling up initiative. When first announced by then Health Secretary Sajid Javid back in February, the intention was to set out \u201cbold action\u201d to deal with disparities in health outcomes based on race, gender and income.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, over 155 members of the Inequalities in Health Alliance (IHA) last week wrote to Coffey urging her to maintain the commitment to publishing a Health Disparities White Paper (HDWP) by the end of this year.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Alliance said: \u201cThe DHSC and NHS will be left in the ultimately unsustainable position of trying to treat illness created by the environments people live in\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The IHA have urged for the government to restate its commitment to health inequalities, warning that \u201cfocusing on individual behaviors and access to services alone will not be enough to close the almost 20-year gap in healthy life expectancy that exists in England between those from the least and most deprived communities.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“that the Secretary of State has so far chosen to ignore the issue almost entirely poses ominous signs for the future health of the nation”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Whether or not you agreed that Johnson\u2019s levelling up initiative was ever truly going to become a reality, it did help kickstart hugely beneficial discourse around health inequality, further prompted by the uneven impact of Covid-19. It was clear from recent Public Policy Projects meetings<\/a> between system leaders that there is a growing consensus that tackling health inequality is the central objective of integrated care systems (ICSs). With ICS leaders in agreement on the need for action, what has happened to the government\u2019s desire for \u201cbold action\u201d on health inequality?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The obvious answer is that while the economy is rapidly deteriorating and every government department is being asked to find \u2018efficiency savings\u2019, long term social and economic rejuvenation is taking a back seat. But in the context of a deepening cost of living crisis, the fact that the new Secretary of State has so far chosen to ignore the issue almost entirely poses ominous signs for the future health of the nation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cost of living<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Recent polling from the Roya College of Physicians has found that even by May 2022, 55 per cent of people felt their health had been negatively affected by the rising cost of living, with the increasing costs of heating (84 per cent), food (78 per cent) and transport (46 per cent) reported as the top three factors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rising costs are creating environments for preventable ill health to manifest in deprived areas across the nation, ultimately impacting health services \u2013 but of course, the crisis directly impacts health providers, as well as those delivering care.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NHS Providers have published a shocking new survey from its membership, revealing that some staff are electing to not eat during work hours in order to provide for their children, with some quitting altogether to find better paid work in pubs and bars. Other key findings from the survey include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n