UK gets healthier ... except Glasgow

Levels of premature death in Glasgow are failing to drop at the same rate as other post-industrial cities, placing a burden on the health of the whole of Scotland.

Despite Scotland's largest city starting off with a death rate high above all other UK cities, and therefore having the greatest room for improvement, the toll has refused to fall in line with comparable cities such as Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle.

The only other post-industrial city where the death rate remains stubbornly high is Manchester but the numbers are much lower than in Glasgow, according to new research by Greater Glasgow NHS Board.

Dr Harry Burns, director of public health at Greater Glasgow NHS Board, has calculated that around 1600 deaths in the Glasgow area every year are attributable to poverty. He has found that 22% of cancer cases in Glasgow would not occur if poverty was eradicated.

The new findings have prompted warnings from health experts that Scotland's health inequalities, particularly those between Glasgow and Edinburgh, are damaging the health of the whole country.

"Dealing with Glasgow's poverty is vital for the economic well- being of Scotland. Can a country whose population is shrinking afford to ignore the impact of thousands of men and women of working age who have no training, opportunity or incentive to become economically active? It can be in no-one's interest to have a large group of the population of our biggest city chronically unhealthy and dependent on incapacity benefit.

"Scotland needs an economically productive Glasgow. Until we achieve it, Glasgow will remain less healthy than it could and should be," Dr Burns said.

Jim McCormick, research director with the influential think-tank, the Scottish Council Foundation, says the inequalities between Glasgow and Edinburgh are particularly worrying.

"I don't think there is much evidence internationally to show that if you run these kind of inequalities you can thrive economically and gain health improvement across the nation as a whole.

"Some indicators for health in Glasgow have been improving but the problem is that they are improving so slowly and the rest of Scotland is driving ahead so quickly that the gap is growing. Inevitably that causes inequalities, especially between two adjacent cities. It has an impact on population growth," he said.

Professor Phil Hanlon, director of the Public Health Institute for Scotland, added: " This is a problem for the whole of Scotland and not just the west of Scotland."

But the Scottish Executive last night insisted that it is tackling the problem.

A spokeswoman said: "We are working to tackle the root causes of ill health - poverty, poor housing, low self-esteem, lack of educational and economic opportunity.

"Glasgow NHS board will receive over (pounds) 12m between 2000 and 2004 to improve the city's health. Glasgow City Council receives a significant amount of funding to invest in child health. Other initiatives such as fruit provision in schools, breakfast clubs and social inclusion partnerships will all help to redress the imbalance and close the health gap between rich and poor."

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