Health Secretary Wes Streeting says Blackpool highlights health gap between rich and poor

Health secretary Wes Streeting said Blackpool was a place he enjoyed visiting when he was younger but was a place he now needed to visit to highlight health inequalities in the nation.

Mr Streeting said the resort was the perfect destination in which to outline the Government’s 10 year plan to tackle the health gap between poorer working class communities and more affluent areas which enjoyed better health -and crucially, better health care.

During his visit to the town to outline the Government plan said: “Blackpool is a town which occupies a very special place in my heart – I have many happy memories, from visits to the Pleasure Beach as a kid, to student conferences at the Winter Gardens which I can still remember.

But as Health and Social Care Secretary Blackpool is on my mind for medical reasons. Its health care plans are not just poor but unjust.

“It’s got some of the worst health outcomes in the country, including life expectancy.

“Travel 30 miles down the road to the Ribble Valley and the life expectancy for men is eight years higher. A baby girl born in Blackpool will live seven years less than one born in Wokingham.

“In many working class areas like this one, people are growing old before their time.

“The gaps in health inequality are caused by poverty, lack of good housing, and dirty air.

“In the coming days we’ll be publishing our 10 year plan, which will set out how it’s the mission of the Government to tackle illness and tackle the health inequalities which shame our society.”

He later said of the challenges in Blackpool: “To tackle these issues we aim to cut NHS waiting lists. In Blackpool they’re not falling as fast as they should do.

“We will bring more GPs and increase dentistry provision in Blackpool.

“We’re putting more mental health workers in place and looking to tackle other areas such as obesity.”

Over the past 14 years, NHS trusts have relied heavily on deficit support, with the taxpayer forced to cover the shortfall in their budgets, even when finances have been managed badly. Since becoming NHSE Chief Executive, Jim Mackey has driven down billions in planned deficits, cutting out spending on agency staff and back office costs.

This year, the £2.2 billion in deficit support funding will not go to systems that fail to meet their agreed financial plans. Deficit support funding will be phased out entirely from 2026/27, with no more reward for failure. Instead, the Government will introduce a transparent financial regime for this year that properly holds leaders to account over financial plans.

Struggling trusts will be required to set out activity and costs so they can take steps to improve. The tougher financial regime will free up funding that will be reinvested in frontline services in working class communities.

The government’s 10 Year Health Plan will also address the inequalities in GP services across England. Currently, GP surgeries which serve working class areas receive on average 10% less funding per patient than practices in more affluent areas.

Royal College of GP data shows that practices in some of the country’s poorest areas have roughly 300 more patients per GP than the most affluent regions.