NATIONAL: Southern people living longer than those in the North

A study of death records shows a “tale of two Englands”, with people in the North 20% more like to die early - under the age of 75 - than those in the South.

Deaths among middle-aged adults have been rising since the mid-1990s and there were 49% more among 35 to 44-year-olds in the North than the South in 2015, and 29% more among 25 to 34-year-olds.

Lead researcher Professor Iain Buchan said: ‘Five decades of death records tell a tale of two Englands, North and South, divided by resources and life expectancy.

‘A new approach is required, one that must address the economic and social factors that underpin early deaths, especially in younger populations, and one that focuses on rebalancing the wider economy to help drive investment in northern towns and cities.

The study divided England into the North - comprising the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands and West Midlands - and the South - comprising the East, South West, London and South East.

Co-author Professor Tim Doran, from the University of York, said: ‘The data, technology and skills now exist to better understand population health and develop public policies to improve it proportionately.’

The study used data from the Office for National Statistics on the whole English population from 1965 to 2015 and was supported by the Health eResearch Centre at the University of Manchester, which is part of the Farr Institute and funded through a consortium of 10 partners led by the Medical Research Council.

Dr Hakim Yadi, chief executive of the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA), a partnership of universities and NHS organisations, said: ‘Health inequalities between the North and South of the country must be addressed by Government as a priority.

‘The NHSA wants to harness the North’s huge potential in health innovation and life sciences for the benefit of its 15 million population. Research conducted by IPPR North demonstrates the Government invests much less in health research funding in the North of England than in the South, despite the huge need, as demonstrated by this research, to address inequalities.’