Research shows worrying downfall in access to healthcare and housing

Findings in the latest Rebuilding Britain Index (RBI) show a decline in the UK’s access to healthcare and housing, offsetting improvements made in the economy and employment. 

The RBI, which measures the UK’s progress in levelling up by tracking social and economic trends, remained at an overall score of 64/100 for the fourth successive quarter. 

However, significant changes have occurred, as the health index score declined by three points, while the housing score decreased by four compared to this time last year. 

The health score has consistently fallen since the RBI’s inception in April 2021 as the UK is one of few industrialised nations to have life expectancy improvements stall over the last decade. 

It’s thought this decline reflects delivery challenges being felt by services across the country, as local communities express lower levels of satisfaction in accessing timely healthcare services.

The research, conducted by leading financial services group Legal & General (L&G) and UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE), surveyed 20,000 people across 52 measures. 

62% of people said they were very or fairly satisfied with their lives, while 17% said they felt dissatisfied, with relatively little difference in figures across the UK. 

However, a clear link between income, home ownership and health on life satisfaction and happiness was found. 

Higher income earners and home owners scored 20 points higher on Health, Housing, Transport and Environment index scores compared to those who were less wealthy. 

‘The Index is very clear about housing: we need more and better housing for all types of tenure – build to sell, build to rent, affordable housing and later life living,’ said Nigel Wilson, CEO at Legal & General.  

‘Both for housing and for broader economic performance, all regions of the UK need a rapid increase in investment – into the very fabric of the country and into new and growing businesses creating high-productivity, high-pay jobs.

‘Reducing health inequalities is a key part of levelling up. Our own data shows that the UK’s housing correlates with health and wellbeing outcomes. Better housing drives better health, and better health in turn creates a virtuous circle – those in very good health perform better across our entire index. The findings reinforce those from our recent Marmot Review in that there is a strong case for building health, literally a life or death issue, into an expanded “ESHG” framework to ensure it is better integrated into the way business and government address the issue.’

Photo by R O