Kids should no longer expect to live to an older age than their parents as life expectancy levels ‘grind to a halt’
A new study shows that life expectancy has levelled off since 2010
KIDS should no longer expect to live to an older age than their parents as improvements to life expectancy “grind to a halt”.
Increases in life expectancy have slowed since 2010, with experts calling it “deeply concerning”.
The rate of increase in women has fallen from one year every five to one in ten. In men it has slowed from one year every 3½ years to one every six.
Expected rises in life expectancy when people are 65 have also slowed.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot, of University College London, called it “pretty close to having ground to a halt”.
He said it was “a matter of urgency” to examine why this has happened. Sir Michael could not explain why rises in life expectancy have faltered but expressed concerns about “miserly” health and social care spending.
He said if we do not “spend appropriately” it could affect older people’s quality of life.
Sir Michael said: “Our spending on healthcare is going down, our spending on adult social care is going down and all the indicators suggest that the need is going up. It is not a good combination.
“The cuts in social spending, the failure of the NHS to continue to rise in spending per person is having a significant impact on social care for the very old.
“We see the rise in dementia which is very troubling and that will require an increase in health and care spending and that’s not happening.
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“I am deeply concerned that if we do not fund health care and social care adequately people will lead much worse lives.
“Whether that translates into an increase in mortality or a failure of mortality to go down, I don’t know.”
The Department of Health said life expectancy was rising and it “invests to ensure our ageing population is well cared for”.