Our new report, Health Inequalities, Lives Cut Short, has confirmed that a million people in 90% of areas in England lived shorter lives than they should between 2011 and the start of the pandemic.

Using several published ONS data sources, the IHE made these calculations from the number of excess deaths (the increase in the number of deaths beyond that would be expected) in the decade from 2011 in England.

The new findings from the IHE add weight to its two reviews of health inequalities in 2020 (Marmot Review 10 years On Review and COVID-19 Marmot Review): that the cumulative impact of regressive funding cuts (which hit poorer areas more), associated with austerity, contributed to life expectancy failing to increase, and actually falling for women in the 10% of poorest areas, and health inequalities widening.

Well established evidence confirms most of our health is determined by our social circumstances and NHS care only accounts for 20% of population health.