Recent ONS figures show that the number of “avoidable” deaths in England and Wales is pretty much back to where it was before Covid: excellent.
But, more worrying, is that such “deaths from causes considered treatable or preventable given timely and effective healthcare or public health interventions” are still higher in deprived areas.
No surprise: I wrote about how living in deprived areas is a key forecaster of disability: affecting some 1-in-4 people by their 40s (whereas those living in the richest areas don’t reach that level until their 70s).
With deprivation as a potent marker of earlier disability and avoidable deaths , policymakers should take care. Changes to the welfare system and health service need to avoid making deprivation worse and creating a downward spiral of life-changing health conditions and avoidable deaths. No-one wants that sort of legacy on their hands.