We need a One Nation approach to public health
11 Jun 2013
Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s shadow public health minister responds to new data showing local variation in avoidable deaths: ‘There can be no more chilling form of inequality than someone’s social status at birth determining the timing of their death, and that is why Labour is putting our mission to tackle health inequalities at the heart of our approach to public health. We need a One Nation approach to public health.
‘Local authorities and poorer communities are being abandoned by the government in this struggle. The government needs to think again on a range of policies, because what we are seeing is mass unemployment, some savage social security cuts, a growing housing shortage crisis, and huge pressure on health services, which will hit poorer areas harder and make health inequalities even worse. The way the government has caved in to demands for big business to scrap plans for minimum unit pricing and plain cigarette packaging will also be really damaging.’
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For more information, please contact Gabe Trodd on 0207 219 4426
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