Try not to be depressed…

It’s been a busy news week, but perhaps more could have been made by the media of a recent report published on the ONS website – Healthy life expectancy, UK: between 2011 to 2013 and 2022 to 2024 (19 February 2026). It makes somewhat depressing reading for those with an interest in prevention, health equality and public health (essential factors in any discussion about NHS provision).

To quote directly. In 2022 to 2024:

• Males in the UK could expect to spend 60.7 years (77% of life) in “good” general health, compared with 60.9 years (73%) for females; these were decreases of 1.8 and 2.5 years, respectively, compared with the last non-overlapping period (2019 to 2021).
• Despite modest increases in life expectancy since 2019 to 2021, healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth in the UK, for both males and females, decreased to its lowest level since our time series began in 2011 to 2013.

Not exactly encouraging reading and perhaps symptomatic of a healthcare system that is still focussed on fixing rather than preventing, despite attempts to the contrary.

Read the full report: here

And some interesting commentary from the Guardian: here

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