Britons are not ageing healthily – we need to learn from countries that have made it a priority | Devi Sridhar
Source: Guardian Health ↗
Britons are living longer but not healthier, with healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth falling to just 60.7 years for men and 60.9 years for women in 2022‑24, according to the Office for National Statistics, while overall life expectancy remains around 79 years for men and 83 for women. The disparity means a growing proportion of the population spends its later years in reduced independence, chronic illness or disability, placing increasing pressure on families, private providers and an already strained NHS. Public‑health academic Prof Devi Sridhar argues that the current focus on universal, NHS‑style social‑care provision, championed by Mayor Andy Burnham, must be complemented by policies that prevent ill health earlier in life to curb the looming care crisis.
The core of Sridhar’s argument is that healthy ageing is largely determined by actions taken in the 40s, 50s and 60s, including prevention and early management of conditions such as type‑2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer, as well as lifestyle factors like diet, regular physical activity and social connectivity. She stresses that broader social policies—access to green space, reliable public transport, adequate housing and employment opportunities—are inseparable from health outcomes. Internationally, Singapore’s “successful ageing” programme, launched in 2015 and expanded in 2023 to integrate health, housing and transport measures, exemplifies how coordinated policy can boost both total and healthy life expectancy, a model that Japan also follows. These nations now top global rankings for longevity and HLE, offering concrete lessons for the UK.
Sridhar warns that without a shift toward preventive and environment‑focused strategies, the UK will see more older adults reaching dependency that could be avoided, exacerbating the financial and operational challenges of social care. She urges Burnham and policymakers to frame the social‑care debate not only around funding the care of the dependent but also around creating conditions that extend the years people can live independently and well. By learning from Singapore and Japan and investing in mid‑life health interventions, the UK could reduce future care demand, improve quality of life for older citizens, and alleviate pressure on the NHS and social‑care system.
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The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.