Deprivation has a lower impact on the health outcomes of the population in London than in other major urban areas, new Office of National Statistics (ONS) data has suggested.
The research looked at health inequalities by built-up area and ethnic group in England between March 2021 and May 2023.
It showed that in all areas mortality rates rise with increasing levels of deprivation.
However, it also found that mortality rates were lower in London for each decile of the index of multiple deprivation compared with other built-up areas.
Across ethnic group, patterns of mortality rates differed over built-up areas. In small and minor urban areas, the Bangladeshi ethnic group had the highest mortality rate and the Chinese ethnic group had the lowest.
But, in major urban areas, the white British ethnic group had the highest mortality rate and the Black African ethnic group had the lowest.
Commenting on the statistics, Veena Raleigh, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund said: ‘Today’s ONS findings provide new insights into the complex relationship between mortality rates in England and the built-up environments that people live in.
‘Unsurprisingly, in all areas mortality rates rise with increasing levels of deprivation. But some other findings raise questions that need answers. For example, deprivation seems to have a lower impact on health outcomes in London than in other major urban locations. This needs to be explored to see if there are lessons to be learnt for other major settlements.
‘The findings also suggest that larger urban developments are associated with poorer health outcomes. Pockets of poverty within our larger urban settlements co-exist with wealthy neighbourhoods, blighting the lives and health of many people of all ethnicities. The findings also highlight that across all size of settlements, people from the White British group have among the highest mortality rates of all ethnic groups.’
She added that the findings add to the ‘growing evidence of entrenched health inequalities’ across England’s ‘unequal society’ and the adverse impact of deprivation on health.
‘Reducing health inequalities, and the socio-economic inequalities that drive them in people of all ethnicities, must be an urgent priority for the new government,’ she said.
Earlier this month it was revealed that GPs in deprived areas care for almost 2,500 patients per head, which is over 300 more than those in more affluent areas.
ICBs were also recently told to consider health inequalities when designing urgent and emergency mental health care for children and young people.
