Study finds it is 'harder to grow old' in the North

OLDER people in the North of England are likely to be poorer and in worse health than their counterparts in the South, a study has found.

- DANIEL HALL

The Northern Health Science Alliance’s report “Ageing in the North” also found older Northerners are more likely to be physically inactive, lonely and in poor housing - resulting in millions of pounds of avoidable NHS costs.

The authors stress the inequality is mainly driven by economic and social factors, and is “totally reversible” should policymakers be bold enough to act. For example, targeted invest ment has the potential to reduce or recover as much as £10.9bn in lost productivity costs, £315m in NHS costs from falls and hip fractures, and £588m in NHS costs from treating conditions resulting from poor housing.