MPs appalled at health inequalities incompetence
By Alex Stevenson
MPs have released a scathing report criticising the government’s efforts to tackle health inequalities.
The Commons’ health committee said the Department of Health (DoH) had not learned the lessons of previous failed policies.
It said policymakers had “rushed in” with insufficient thought and a lack of clear objectives.
Changes had then been made to existing policies without giving enough time for the old ones to bed in, the report stated.
And it found the government, by not even undergoing basic calculations about how much money it has spent to tackle inequalities, was risking wasting public money through inadequate policy evaluation.
Chairman Kevin Barron said committee members were “shocked” by the lack of evidence and policy evaluation which had taken place.
“The taxpayer must be reassured that money invested in policy initiatives is making a difference. At the moment, in relation to health inequalities, we cannot say with certainty that this is the case,” he said.
“Far more must be done to ensure money injected into implementing these policies is tracked and policy design must be sufficiently improved so that effective and accurate evaluation can take place, so that policy-making is based on sound evidence.”
The British Medical Association expressed concern that public funds might be being wasted.
Its head of science and ethics, Vivienne Nathanson, said: “There is no bottomless pit of resources to tackle health inequalities so it is essential that the government spends taxpayers’ money wisely and on projects that will work.
“It is important that policies are part of a joined up, cross-departmental approach.”
But public health minister Dawn Primarolo welcomed the committee’s acknowledgement that the government’s target of cutting health inequalities by ten per cent was “arguably the toughest. in the world”.
“That target remains challenging but life expectancy is at an all-time high across the whole of England – this is a great achievement,” she argued.
“We are taking major steps to promote healthier lifestyles. Introducing smokefree public places is recognised as possibly the single most effective public health intervention for a generation. We are helping families eat better and be more active through our Change4Life campaign. And we are supporting our most vulnerable families to make breastfeeding the norm and improve health outcomes from birth.”
Despite these successes the DoH has asked Professor Sir Michael Marmot to advise on the future direction of health inequalities policy.
He will report on his findings by the end of the year.
