Labour welcomes investigation of health inequalities

Labour has welcomed scrutiny of the health inequalities that have left people in Castle ward Northampton with the lowest life expectancy in the county.

Men in Castle ward die 15 years earlier than men in the most affluent part of the council area, and women die eight years younger.

The call for action came from Cllr Muna Cali, who represents Castle ward, at yesterday’s (2 September) meeting of the Adult Care and Health Scrutiny Committee.

“It’s wrong that life expectancy in West Northamptonshire should be a postcode lottery,” she said.

The 15 year gap in life expectancy between men in Castle ward and in Brackley West – the most affluent part of the county – was first raised in a report by the public health officer earlier this year.  Women in Castle also have a lower life expectancy than their peers in other parts of the county.

Yesterday Cllr Cali said an investigation was needed to establish the reasons for the difference and action to close the life expectancy gap. “The health inequalities in West Northants are greater than exist in many other parts of the UK. We need action to make sure that people in Castle can expect to enjoy as long lives as people elsewhere in West Northants.”

The Committee decided to include health inequalities in its scrutiny of prevention strategies. It also decided to scrutinise the ability of adult services to meet the needs of the diverse communities that make up West Northamptonshire.