Dr Amir Khan, the GP, broadcaster and author, has warned that widening gaps in life expectancy amount to a “national crisis”, after analysis suggested people in affluent areas such as Marylebone and Berkhamsted can live up to 18 years longer than those in more deprived communities including Blackpool and Glasgow.
The findings are drawn from analysis of an Office for National Statistics report on “health state life expectancy estimates” for people born in England between 2019 and 2023. The figures took into account major factors known to affect health and longevity, including housing quality, air pollution, financial strain and wider local living conditions.
Dr Khan, who grew up in a working-class inner-city area of Bradford, said the data underlines a reality he has long recognised: “health (care) starts long before someone walks into a GP surgery.”
The TV doctor has joined forces with Health Equals, a coalition campaigning to improve health equality across the UK. He said: “I don’t just see the impact of health inequalities in my work as a GP, I’ve lived them too.
“Today, I see these same challenges affecting many of my patients. I see people living in damp homes, struggling with financial insecurity or juggling multiple jobs, and I see the impact that can have on their health.”
To highlight the campaign, Dr Khan unveiled a “Shelf Life” installation at Old Spitalfields Market in East London, designed to bring the stark life expectancy divide into public view.
The display used oversized supermarket-style packaging marked with shortened “expiry dates”, each linked to life expectancy data from different parts of the country. The aim was to show how where someone lives can effectively strip years from their life.
Dr Khan said: “We’re very good at treating illness, it is shaped by things like our homes, jobs, education and local environment. Your postcode shouldn’t determine your shelf life. But right now, in the UK, it does.
“That’s why these figures should be considered a national crisis, and why we need governments to commit to meaningful action to tackle the root causes of poor health and health inequalities.”
Life spans in more affluent areas like Marylebone and Berkhamsted are estimated to be up to 88 years of age – 18 years more than they are in areas like Glasgow and Grimsby, where 70 is the average. In a poll of 2,000 adults, also commissioned by Health Equals, it emerged almost all appear to share Dr Khan’s concerns as 95% agreed the difference in life expectancy across the UK is a problem.
The most significant factors influencing lifespan are education (65%), access to transport (57%) and access to affordable healthy food (92%), according to respondents.
Actor and TV presenter, Will Mellor, who is also supporting the campaign, added: “It’s shocking to think that there’s an 18-year gap in life expectancy between some communities across the UK.
“Having grown up on a council estate in Stockport, that’s difficult to get my head around. Two people from different parts of the UK can be working hard, doing their best, and yet one could still live so many years fewer than the other.
“What really struck me about this campaign is seeing the data broken down to such a local level. It stops being just a set of statistics and becomes about the places we live, work and raise our families.
“I’d encourage everyone to check their own postcode on the Health Equals website because the results are genuinely eye-opening.
“When you see the difference between communities that can be just a few miles apart, the issue becomes impossible to ignore.”
Of those who took part in the study by OnePoll.com, only two in 10 think that the government is doing enough to help reduce health inequalities between people in different postcodes in the UK.
Paul McDonald, director of Health Equals, which is calling on our new Prime Minister to change the law to make it a legal duty to create better health in every postal area, added: “Your postcode shouldn’t determine your shelf life, but in the UK, it does.
“Let’s not forget that behind these figures are real people with families, loved ones, jobs, hobbies, and their lives are being cut short because of things out of their control – this should be considered a national crisis.
“This isn’t just bad luck or down to individual choices, it’s because too many people don’t have access to the basics that help us stay healthy. And these inequalities don’t just affect individuals, they hold back families, jobs and our economy, and put pressure on services like the NHS.
“Our health should be a national priority, and change is possible. We are calling for a change in the law to make improving health and tackling inequalities a legal duty for this and future governments. If Andy Burnham is serious about creating good growth in every British postcode, this will be one of his first priorities in Number 10.”
