Investing in public health is essential for the UK’s economic recovery

As the UK’s new government sets its priorities, it does so in the middle of overlapping challenges including another difficult winter season, with demand for NHS and care services reaching an all time high,1 a crisis in the cost of living,2 and widening health inequalities. Improving the nation’s health must be at the heart of the government’s work to deliver economic growth and increase productivity. Investing in our public health system, and in the public’s health, should be seen as an essential part of our economic recovery—not a distraction from it.The costs of ill health can be seen throughout society and the economy. Avoidable illness and death are major factors in the relentless pressure on the NHS, particularly in deprived areas,2 while a record 2.5 million people are economically inactive because of long term illness.3 Excess mortality, which is largely preventable, remains stubbornly higher than average as we emerge from…
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