Healthy life expectancy (HLE) – the average number of years a person would expect to live in good health – fell in Britain by two years over the last decade, according to a new report. 

The UK is one of only five of the richest 21 countries to see HLE decline and its fall was the second steepest.

The new report, published today by The Health Foundation, shows striking variations of HLE across socio-economic groups. People in the wealthiest 10% of areas could expect to have around 20 more years of good health than those in the poorest. In England, Richmond in London had the highest rates of HLE at 69 for men and 70 for women. In contrast, in Blackpool it was 51 for men and in Hartlepool it was 51 for women. London was the only area nationally which saw an improvement in HLE over the reporting period. 

The Health Foundation says the findings should be seen as a “watershed moment” for the country. It says: “These findings reinforce growing evidence about declining health in the UK, particularly among the working-age population. Successive governments have failed to take the long-term action needed to address this, resulting in a growing economic and fiscal impact as well as a substantial human cost.” 

The charity says a new approach is needed to rebuild the UK’s health “that puts improving health on a par with delivering economic growth at the heart of government policy”. It is calling for cross-government action on the full range factors that shape people’s health, a shift to prevention and a new strategy to address economic and health inequalities.