Geographical Procsesses

The gap gets even wider

The UKS National Health Service is unique. No other country has a health care system which is free at the point of delivery to all of its citizens-regardless of wealth.

The NHS provides a service that, despite its imperfections is much admired. By contrast, before the creation of the NHS in 1948 everybody had to pay for doctors’ visits, medicines or hospital stays – so the poor often went without health care.

(2009) house of commons reports:

‘Health inequalities can be found in many aspects of health for example poor people not only live less long than rich but also have many years of poor health. Access to health is also uneven, the old and disabled are receiving worse treatment than the young and able bodied.’

Primary care trust (PCT’s who provide hospitals and GP surgeries – varies between trusts) Budgets for health care area allocated to PCTs according to need – with a large differences in funding per person between them. For example, in 2009 Mid-Essex PCT received £1269 per person whereas PCTS in deprived areas received much more funding per person, e.g. Hackney Teaching PCT (£2136) AND Liverpool (£2031)

DIET

Inequalities are mainly due to annual income. One heath indicator is that healthy diets are influenced by the fact that healthy foods tend to be more expensive than ‘value’ products. Many value products are higher in carbohydrates, fat and salt and lower in fibre, vitamins. This affects the diet of low-income families (and many pensioners) and as a results have bigger health problems than those who can afford healthier alternatives.

EXCERSIZE

Public and private exercise centres are available however with many leisure centres being transformed into profit making business the poor and vulnerable are finding it more and more difficult to exercise due to the cost and therefore have a disadvantage on the state of their health. For example swimming pools.

The health Profile of England

Each year the department of health publishes a Health profile of England. The 2009 report highlighted some improvements in health. There was:

-Declining death rate from