The changing health needs of the UK population

Abstract

The demographics of the UK population are changing and so is the need for health care. In this Health Policy, we explore the current health of the population, the changing health needs, and future threats to health. Relative to other high-income countries, the UK is lagging on many health outcomes, such as life expectancy and infant mortality, and there is a growing burden of mental illness. Successes exist, such as the striking improvements in oral health, but inequalities in health persist as well. The growth of the ageing population relative to the working-age population, the rise of multimorbidity, and persistent health inequalities, particularly for preventable illness, are all issues that the National Health Service (NHS) will face in the years to come. Meeting the challenges of the future will require an increased focus on health promotion and disease prevention, involving a more concerted effort to understand and tackle the multiple social, environmental, and economic factors that lie at the heart of health inequalities. The immediate priority of the NHS will be to mitigate the wider and long-term health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it must also strengthen its resilience to reduce the impact of other threats to health, such as the UK leaving the EU, climate change, and antimicrobial resistance.

Figure 1

Trends in life expectancy at birth in the UK and comparable high-income countries Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Figure 2

Infant mortality in the UK and comparable high-income countries Data are from 2018 or the latest year available. Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Figure 3

Percentage of population at older ages in selected high-income countries, 2018 Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Figure 4

Percentage of population aged 65+ years and 85+ years, 2019 Source: Office for National Statistics.

Figure 5

Percentage change in burden due to the top 25 causes of DALYs in women in the UK, 1990–2019 Source: Global Burden of Disease. DALY=disability-adjusted life year.

Figure 6

Percentage change in burden due to the top 25 causes of DALYs in men in the UK, 1990–2019 Source: Global Burden of Disease. DALY=disability-adjusted life year.