Why our death rate is one of the highest in the world. Sir Michael Marmot, author of the December 2020 report “Build back Fairer” and Professor Linda Bauld were interviewed on this point on “Today”

Per 100,000 of the population Belgium ?? Has a higher ratio. There are lies, damm live and statistics.

Maybe those who earn more or have more money should be paying for health care and forced to take out private insurance? It would get more money flowing into hospitals and they would build private hospitals .

I think I am missing how that relates to the OP EllanVannin. Can you expand a little?

Now we're being deprived of more vaccine in the North West---the worst hit area on the map.

I agree, BigBerthal, that we have seen and heard it all before, probably since pre the Black Report in 1980. Since then the idea of a common good has been kicked into the long grass and it's now "let's blame everyone but ourselves".

This is one of the things the government has happily got us doing right now - I refer you to some other threads on here at the moment - as they divert the blame from themselves. It's always "the other" and I wonder just how often we have to see this before we realise we, or at least some of us, are being played.

The one thing that very clearly came out of the discussion by the two eminent scientists is that the behaviour in this country is not particularly better or worse than in any other country in applying the information people have been given. So we have to look elsewhere to find out why we hit the horrifying numbers and again, in cautious language of scientists that we may wish we heard from politicians, the blame lies fairly and squarely on the governance of this country over the last ten years and to some extent since pre 1980. And it lies with the government for failing to recognise what we had was not a flu - when other countries did - and how we needed to deal with it - which other countries also did.

The only problem is that those on this thread are probably all aware of these things while elsewhere they are going hammer and tongs working who they can blame next; which group can be provided as the governments whipping boy and scapegoat. Perhaps we should suggest that those who voted this government in should own up now [sad smile]

Anyone remember The Black Report - not sure things are any better than then re health inequalities and the austerity years just made it worse. I would add the constant reorganisation in the NHS and other public services have been an enormous waste of money and served only to increase bureaucracy.

PippaZ. Finished Ch10 of the Review and sent it to my conservative MP. I hasten to add, he didn't my vote.

This is part of my email to him.
"There are pockets of inequality in this county. According to latest figures, 17 Cornwall neighbourhoods are among the 10 percent most deprived in England. 6 of these are in your constituency.

I hope in the very near future you will get the opportunity to read at least Ch10 of the Report. I’d then like your comments about what you as my MP intend to do and how you will work to make the current government act quickly and decisively on the recommendations from the Marmot Review.

The Report is attached for your convenience".

I'm going to send the report to all parties in my area. It's all there PippaZ. From short term goals to long term. It can't be done piecemeal though. A big financial commitment across all areas it covers.
It refers to another report: Marmot Review 10 Years On. This needs to be read by politicians alongside the Build back Fairer one.

Interesting graph Muse. I will be interested to here what you get from the review too. I have taken too much time, this morning, whittling the interview down to what posted but I will try and look at it later on.

I think one of parties should grab the title "Build Back Fairer" as their simple aim going forward. Every time I hear the PM say Build Back Better I have to ask - for who?

*Meant to add*: The Covid-19 Marmot Review is on the Nuffield Website. It is lengthly but I went straight to Chapter 10 the recommendations.

It's been a known fact for years judging by annual deaths. Every year the death rate has increased each winter---and getting worse.

Nobody in Parliament has done anything about capping the prices of greedy fuel companies for a start. Gas/ Electricity.
It's vital that everyone keeps warm in the winter in order to remain healthy, but there are thousands who simply can't afford to and I think it's criminal !

To be both ill and cold is a killer which is why we have so many deaths in Winter ! Don't politicians get this ??

Thank you for this PippaZ. I don't watch a huge amount of TV news but I do read a lot from different sources.

I was up late last night. After the news about the figures, I went onto the Nuffield Trust site. Spent hours looking mainly at the reports about inequality. This morning, I'd started to read The Marmot Review.!
Having a break now and then picked up your thread. I'll have a look at the Today programme.
I'm attaching a graph published by Nuffield "How have Inequalities in the quality of care changed over the last 10 years?"
They compared indicators measuring the quality of NHS care for the 10% of people living in the most deprived areas and the 10% of people living in the least deprived areas of England to see how the results differ.
They constructed an inequality score that is comparable across different performance measures and over time. A positive score means that the most deprived areas are doing worse, and the closer to 1 the score is, the greater the inequality between the least and most deprived.

I have little if any confidence in the present government acting quickly and decisively regarding this.

'Failing' has all been done knowingly, not through an actual attempt at success.

PippaZ, that ALL sounds like the Britain and British government that we recognise. Leaching of money from tax payers into the private sphere aka, key Tory pockets. Resulting in growing poverty and hardship among those who need the support the most.