Growth plan can’t ignore health Health Foundation response to the mini-budget

Responding to today’s mini-budget, Dave Finch, Assistant Director for Healthy Lives at the Health Foundation, said:

‘There can be no trade-off between wealth and health. You can’t grow the economy without a healthy population – and you can’t have a healthy population without a strong and inclusive economy. 

‘Support to get people into work is welcome, but support must focus on helping people into good quality work; poor quality work can be as bad for health as being unemployed. There is a need to go further and develop more targeted support for those over-50s who have recently become inactive and have done so because of ill-health. Threatening to remove benefits will not make their underlying health issues go away. 

‘Tax giveaways, announced this year and next, will focus money on the richest households. This leaves a large gap in greater support for the poorest – those most likely to struggle through the cost-of-living crisis and so at risk of damaging their health.  

‘It is welcome that the £13bn ringfenced for the NHS and social care has been protected on paper. But there was an absence of a plan for public services to cope with higher costs. The NHS wasn’t meant to go it alone: we also need to see what support will be given to other public services that help to support good health, such as housing.’ 

Media contact

Creina Lilburne
creina.lilburne@health.org.uk
07941 156 827