Life expectancy among women living in the poorest communities in England has declined since 2011, says a report warning of growing health inequalities.

Overall, life expectancy growth has stalled over the past decade – for the first time in 100 years.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there was “still much more to do”.

The largest decreases were seen in the most deprived areas of north-east England, while the biggest increases were in the richest parts of London.

Similar trends can be seen right across the UK, the report said.

The report, by Prof Sir Michael Marmot, one of the country’s leading experts on health inequalities, comes 10 years after he first published data on the growing gap between rich and poor, and between north and south, in England.

“England has lost a decade,” Prof Marmot said, calling the damage to the nation’s health “shocking”.

“If health has stopped improving, that means society has stopped improving.”

His follow-up report, after a decade of austerity, finds the picture has got worse.

It highlights:

stalling life expectancy for men and women in England since 2010

the more deprived the area, the shorter the life expectancy

among women in the poorest 10% of areas, life expectancy fell between 2010-12 and 2016-18

people in poorer areas spend more of their lives in ill health than those in affluent areas

the amount of time people spend in poor health has gone up across England since 2010

cuts in funding in deprived areas and areas outside London were larger and affected those areas more

Instead, it points the finger at “social and economic conditions, many of which have shown increased inequalities”.

Prof Marmot said similar trends can be seen right across the UK, where the slow-down in life expectancy is more obvious than in most European and other high-income countries, apart from the US.

The government must tackle health inequalities “as a matter of urgency” and bring the level of deprived areas in the north up to the level of good health enjoyed by people living in London and the south, the report says.

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth described the report as a “devastating verdict on 10 years of austerity under the Conservatives” and called for “urgent action” by the prime minister.

In a statement, Mr Hancock said: “There is still much more to do, and our bold prevention agenda, record £33.9bn a year investment in the NHS, and world-leading plans to improve children’s health will help ensure every person can lead a long and healthy life.” Read more

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