BHF comment
BHF responds to the Government's Levelling Up White Paper
The Government has this week published its long-awaited Levelling Up White Paper which explains how it aims to spread opportunity more equally across the UK and address long-standing inequalities.
Health is one of the White Paper’s twelve ‘missions,’ with commitments to narrow the Healthy Life Expectancy gap between the most and least deprived communities by 2030, and an aim to see a five year improvement in that gap by 2035. Preventing cardiovascular disease is also recognised as a clear opportunity for improving the health of the nation.
But the Paper only restates existing goals from the NHS Long Term Plan and the Core 20PLUS5 initiative, which is a national approach to reducing health inequalities. It does not consider industry action around obesity, a risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases and a major driver for health inequalities in the UK, nor does it commit to new action on smoking and tobacco.
Science and technology were also recognised as belonging in the heart of a new economic model, with a plan to invest at least 55% of UK domestic research and development funding outside the Greater South East region by 2024-25. The paper did not however commit to any major research funding increases and instead simply re-allocates resource outside the South East.
Unwavering Government commitment is needed
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, said:
“Cardiovascular disease and its risk factors are a major cause of health inequalities across the UK, fuelling the unacceptable disparities in life expectancy this White Paper seeks to address. Its mission to narrow the healthy life expectancy gap is one that the BHF supports wholeheartedly, but which will require unwavering Government commitment.
“We are particularly pleased to see commitments to improve public health, with a clear focus on the prevention of cardiovascular disease and obesity, but how this will be achieved is not yet clear. We look forward to the White Paper on Health Disparities for more clarity on how the wide range of measures needed to achieve such an ambition will be resourced.
“The case for greater investment in research has never been stronger and, while the White Paper recognises that research can happen all over the country, it’s disappointing to not see recognition that funding for research can come from a wide range of sources. Medical research charities like the British Heart Foundation drive research across the UK and will be critical in reaching the Government’s ambitions in levelling up."