State of Health and Care Conference 2022

Our health is in crisis. 20^th century improvements in UK population health are reversing; UK health is lagging behind other advanced countries; and the NHS faces the toughest winter in its history.

At the same time, the economy faces big, fundamental and long-term weaknesses. The labour market is struggling; productivity has failed to recover from the financial crash; and we are experiencing a chronic lack of growth.

It is these twin challenges that have inspired IPPR to launch the Commission on Health and Prosperity – chaired by Dame Sally Davies and Lord Ara Darzi. Our formative hypothesis is that a fairer country is a healthier one, and a healthier country is a more prosperous one. Put another way, better health is the medicine our economy desperately needs.