The UK government set a target of providing five additional years of healthy life for people in the country by 2035, but a new report reveals that it is likely to miss this target without taking action.
Birmingham Health Partners reported that the House of Lords Science and Technology shared the warning, noting that although the country is a world-leader in drug research and that the understanding of the ageing process has improved considerably, it needs to do more to tackle societal problems that reduce life expectancy.
Health inequalities were highlighted by the report, noting that there are “shocking differences in healthy life expectancy among ethnic groups and the most deprived groups” in the UK.
Science and Technology Committee Chair Lord Patel commented: “The committee found that the government needs to urgently address the key issues of reducing health inequalities, implementing health system reforms and promoting lifestyle changes.”
Professor Lord, director of the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, told the publication that although people are living longer, the amount of time spent in good health is not keeping pace.
He added that the target of giving people five more years of healthy life is “unlikely to be met until there is a clear roadmap to achieve the target”.
The Centre for Ageing Better’s chief executive Anna Dixon noted at the end of last year that the Covid-19 pandemic has only served to highlight the health and lifestyle inequalities that exist within the UK’s older population.
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5 February,2021
