The UK is becoming more ethnically diverse: nearly 20% of the population reports being from a minority ethnic background and projections suggest growing diversity is the future. People from minority backgrounds in the UK experience a variety of inequalities. But what is the latest evidence telling us?   A comprehensive analysis of race and ethnicity, recently published as part of The IFS Deaton Review of inequality, finds no single story of advantage or disadvantage across ethnicities....

Since the early 1990s, there’s been a concerning uptick in cancer incidence among adults younger than 50 years. Scientists are racing to understand what’s driving these trends. Some evidence points to roles for established risk factors – including smoking and obesity. But some research is also exploring environmental exposures – such as microplastics and forever chemicals – and asking if these could be changing the microbiome and potentially causing inflammation within the body.  So what...

As the dust settles after the general election, what can we expect on health and care?

As the general election approaches, what are the main parties planning on health and will it make a difference? Polling day is rapidly approaching and all the main party manifestos have now been published. But when it comes to health and care, do we know what we’re voting for? Many commentators have expressed deep frustration at the opacity of the political debate – not just about the state we are in, but on the plans to get out of it. This matters because whoever wins the election faces a...

More long-term, mission-led policymaking is sorely needed, but how best to do it? The Sure Start programme was set up with the aim of giving young children the best possible start in life, narrowing gaps in outcomes for disadvantaged children. First announced by the New Labour government in 1998, it has evolved regularly over the past two decades. Recent evaluations have found early versions of Sure Start delivered positive impacts for children – supporting improved educational attainment,...

Improving NHS productivity is a key national priority. But what’s behind the slowdown and can it be reversed?  Over the past few years, amid the turmoil of COVID-19, the NHS has seen substantial growth in funding and clinical staffing levels. Yet the numbers of patients treated haven’t risen in step – suggesting services, particularly NHS acute hospitals, have become less productive.  Government has announced a wide-ranging review of public sector productivity and asked services to develop...

What's happened to our economy and what does it mean for our health? Many developed economies have been growing more slowly since around 2008, but the UK economy has been struggling more than most. Wages haven't risen since 2008 leaving the average worker £14,000 worse off. Productivity growth – vital to rising living standards – has stalled. Regional inequalities are unusually large, and economic hardship is widespread with 2.8 million people reporting not working because of long-term...

Given the huge pressures on the NHS it's perhaps inevitable people ask, what's the future of it? The NHS and social care are struggling to deliver care and support to people who need it. With services so stretched, waiting times at record highs, public satisfaction falling and a demoralised workforce, is now the time to ask some fundamental questions about the NHS? In the past month, two independent commissions on the future of the NHS have reported – the Times Commission in early February,...

About a fifth of us of working age – just under 9 million people in the UK – are not looking for or are not able to work. Recently the biggest growth has been among those reporting long-term illness, now at a record high of around 2.7 million. This decline in working-age health is causing concern among employers, politicians and policymakers. Earlier this month the Health Foundation launched an independent Commission for Healthier Working Lives to build consensus around the kind of action...

Join us as we look back at the pick of the pod in 2023.  It's been a turbulent year: the NHS under pressure, the health of the population not improving as fast as we’d like and economic inactivity remaining stubbornly high, especially among working-age people.  But it's not all gloom. To some surprise, we saw government ditch its nanny state objections and take bold action on tobacco. And there have been breath-taking advances in technology, not least in artificial intelligence. A reminder...

AI technologies are advancing rapidly. Yet when it comes to AI in health care we're still in the early stages. The prize could be big – the question is what will it take to realise the benefits? The applications of AI in health care will be far-reaching and profound, from high-quality personalised treatment advice made instantly available to automated systems that can cut bureaucracy, free up staff time and reduce costs.  All this is exciting and could help with some of the big challenges...

Episode 37. A general election is expected in 2024 and no party can ignore the NHS − but what do they plan to do on health? 

Episode 36. With deep public concern over access to NHS care, and policymakers exploring how the independent sector can help get waiting lists down, are we slowly sliding towards a mixed model of health care?

Whatever we are doing on health, it isn't enough to prepare for the wave of morbidity that is clearly in sight.  Recent Health Foundation modelling estimates 1 in 5 will be living with major illness by 2040, mostly because more of us will be older. But it's not just about age. A record 2.5 million working-age people are already not in work due to ill health. So what can be done to improve the state of nation’s health?   To discuss, our Chief Executive Jennifer Dixon is joined...

As we approach the NHS’s 75th birthday in July, we’re releasing a series of three podcast episodes setting out the big questions facing the health service. This second episode explores the role of political leadership in addressing the big challenges in health care, whether political leadership is up to the task of getting the NHS to its 100th anniversary – and if not, how could it improve?  To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon is joined by:     Alan Milburn, Labour MP for...

The fact the NHS survives by a kind of miracle is one of its endearing British features – so said former health secretary, Kenneth Clarke. Well, can that miracle continue? As we approach the NHS’s 75th birthday in July, we’re launching a series of three podcast episodes setting out the big questions facing the health service. This first episode explores current pressures on the NHS, economy and wider society and what the future might hold. What are the questions that policymakers may face...

How healthy we are in part depends on the many different exposures we've had over our life – including to physical, psychological and social factors. Chronic exposure to psychosocial stress – for example, poverty or other disadvantage – leads to prolonged strain on the body. This weathering can make us physically ill before our time and prematurely age us. So what is psychosocial stress, how does it harm our health and what can be done about it? To discuss, our chief executive Dr Jennifer...

News of artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. We seem to be on the cusp of a revolution in how the latest AI models will change our lives – and health and care could be at the centre of those changes. AI will transform medicine, AI will allow doctorless screening and personalised prevention, AI will boost productivity, AI will make thousands of jobs redundant – so go all the claims.   But is this hype or real hope? How will AI transform health and care services and the experiences of...

Today, women make up around half of all doctors and two-thirds of all medical students. So, has equality in health care finally been achieved?  When International Women’s Day began in 1909, women were still barred from entering medical school. Today women make up a growing share of the medical workforce and students in the UK. Despite this considerable progress, research indicates that today women in health care are under-represented in leadership roles, are paid less than male colleagues on...

Improvements to life expectancy slowed in the last decade, and in some communities even went into reverse.   In England, the north east region has the lowest life expectancy. The last decade and a half has seen a worrying increase in mortality among younger people, and in particular men who are dying before their time. A big chunk of this excess mortality seems to be down to so called ‘deaths of despair’ – that’s deaths by suicide, violent injury and substance misuse.  So what's going on?...

What a rollercoaster year it's been. In this Christmas round-up, we're looking back over our 2022 podcast episodes and pulling out some top insights for you to reflect on.  Our chief executive Dr Jennifer Dixon shares clips from: Catherine Howarth and John Godfrey, Are businesses and investors really serious about improving our health?  Dame Carol Black and Dr João Castel-Branco Goulão, Tackling the drug problem in the UK and Portugal  Professor Kevin Fenton and Richard Sloggett, Time...

We're all familiar with some of the challenges ahead in the UK: a fiscal squeeze, limp productivity, a labour shortage and an ageing population with increasing needs.  As Andy Haldane put it in our recent REAL Challenge lecture, two routes to prosperity for the UK include increasing the number of workers and their productivity. But both of these routes now appear to be hampered by increasing ill health.  Since the pandemic, 600,000 working people have become economically inactive – that’s...

We don’t like to think about death. To many, death and dying have no value and are relegated to the margins of our lives. So how could we die better in the UK? How do we bring death back into life?