The rise in life expectancy that has been seen in England for more than 100 years is now grinding to a halt, warns a former government and WHO advisor.
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Leading health expert, Michael Marmot, says the rise has stalled since 2010 and that austerity and the resulting cuts in NHS and social care funding may well be to blame.
The Department of Health denied that its policies are the problem, saying ministers are providing the funding and support needed to ensure life expectancy continues to rise.
Using projections from the Office for National Statistics, Sir Michael showed that between 2000 and 2015, life expectancy increased so quickly that women gained an extra year for every five years that passed and men an extra year for every 3.5 years. But since 2010, this upward trend has almost halved, says Sir Michael, with it now taking a decade for women and six years for men to see the same gain.
Sir Michael says austerity could easily have played a role since it affects education, employment, working conditions and poverty levels, factors all linked to lifestyle and life expectancy. He also described NHS and social care funding settlements as “miserly” and likely to cause a deterioration in quality of life among older people and therefore a decline in their life expectancy.
Sir Michael does not give credit to the idea that the stalling of the rise in England could be due to humans having reached their maximum life expectancy. He points out that life expectancy is longer in Hong Kong and that last year, US scientists reported that the longest humans could possibly live for is about 115 years.
A spokesman for the Department of Health defended against the claim that a decline in NHS healthcare has played a role. Just last week, the NHS was rated the best, safest and most affordable healthcare service in the world, he said.
“We continue to invest to ensure our ageing population is well cared-for, with £6bn extra going into the NHS [in England] over the last two years and an additional £2bn for the social care system,” added the spokesman.
Currently, the average life expectancy in England is 83 years for women and 79 years for men.
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