ADPH becomes official supporter of Health Equals

The Association of Directors of Public Health is pleased to announce that it is now an official supporter of Health Equals and its work to shape a new public conversation about health and wellbeing, and influence national policy.

Greg Fell, ADPH President, said:

“People in the least deprived areas of the country can expect to live 19 more years in good health, compared to those in the most deprived areas. This is clearly unacceptable.

“Health inequalities and healthy life expectancy are driven by many factors such as gender, ethnicity and disability as well as social determinants of heath, including housing, education, income, employment, and the environment, and the gap between the most and least deprived areas is widening. Commercial influences also have an impact on our health with poor health caused by the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, unhealthy foods, and gambling, disproportionately affecting people in deprived areas, making existing inequalities worse.

“Closing this gap needs an ambitious, health in all policies approach with a shift towards collaborative working across all Government departments so that health is at the heart of all policy and decision making to build a society where good health is considered the norm and people really can live longer, healthier lives no matter what their background or where they live.”