Reviews / 2010
Fair Society, Healthy Lives
Professor Sir Michael Marmot · work from 2008 · published 2010
What this was
Review of the social determinants of health. It set out how health follows the social gradient, and proposed action from early years through work, income and healthy places. A ten-year reassessment in 2020 found inequalities had widened.
Why it sits in the hub
Almost every later safety inquiry finds that harm is not evenly spread. Marmot is the reference point when those inquiries, and the 10 Year Health Plan, talk about prevention and fairness.
Findings
Finding 1
People in poorer areas live shorter lives, and spend more of those years in poor health.
Finding 2
Health services alone cannot close the gap. Early years, work and place do much of the work.
Recommendations in this hub
Paraphrase of the public recommendations, not the official text.
- 1Partly doneGovernment
Give every child the best start, and make work and places healthier.
The 2020 update reported that the gradient had not improved.
- 2Partly doneGovernment and NHS
Resource action in proportion to need, rather than offering the same input everywhere.