Can the UK be the world’s healthiest country by 2050?

Can the UK be the world’s healthiest country by 2050?

Illness has a major impact on the personal finances and job prospects of the UK population, the IPPR has found. Researchers for the IPPR Commission on Health and Prosperity looked at five years of data from the period just before the Covid-19 pandemic, and the two years after.

The main headlines are that someone with a new physical illness experienced (on average) a fall of around £1,800 in their annual earnings, before the pandemic. Those with a new mental illness faced a fall in annual earnings of around £2,200. Since 2020, the figures are falls of £1,400 for someone with a chronic physical illness and £1,700 for the onset of a mental illness. The study also found that illness generally led to consequences for other members of the same household, who saw an average reduction in annual earnings of around £1,200. 

Preventable losses

Loss of earnings was found to have been caused by people needing to leave their job and work reduced hours as well as pay for healthcare, travel to appointments and costs for energy from staying at home. Poor health was a factor for more than half those who left their jobs in the period (56%).

The IPPR has argued that the majority of sickness in the UK is preventable, and could be addressed by changes in policy and investment: into “better housing, better jobs and action on public health challenges like obesity, or access to the best treatments and social care.”

The research body has called for a Health and Prosperity Act modelled on the Climate Change Act of 2008 with ambitious targets and plans to deliver radical change within the next 30 years.

Engaging early

EAPA UK chair, Karl Bennett said: “Wellbeing is fundamental to the life of a society, just as it is for workplaces. Any national campaign and strategy to improve mental health would be an important step, with huge potential benefits for everyone.

“At the same time the complexities of what makes for good mental wellbeing will have to be recognised. It’s long been understood that work can be both a source of serious anxiety in people’s lives but also a critical platform of identity, providing a sense of purpose and community. There will need to be close co-operation with organisations and employers in terms of creating those ‘better jobs’ and good places to work, ensuring there are more early interventions and access to professional support on mental health.”