The RCP has responded to the final report of the IPPR Commission on Health and Prosperity.
Commenting on the report, Dr Mumtaz Patel, the RCP’s vice president of education and acting as RCP president, said: "We support the IPPR’s call for a shift away from a sickness model of healthcare towards one of health creation, particularly in underserved communities where health disparities are most severe. As this report suggests, improving access to care, investing in public health, and targeting the social determinants of health are essential to creating a fairer and healthier society.
“As the report highlights, good health is an economic asset. Along with reducing avoidable demand for NHS services, a healthier nation is also central to reducing labour market inactivity and improving productivity.
“As conveners of the Inequalities in Health Alliance, a coalition of over 250 organisations urging government to tackle health inequalities, we have long called for coordinated action across government to tackle the social determinants of health. The government’s promised health mission delivery board is a vital opportunity to drive this agenda and to deliver a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities that tackles the things that make us ill in the first place.”