The harrying of the north continues still

The chances of dying early - below the age of 75 - are a fifth higher in the North of England compared with the South, research suggests. A study published in the British Medical Journal said the north-south mortality difference was now at its widest for 40 years. Researchers from the University of Manchester compared death rates from 1965 to 2008. The government said health inequalities were being addressed. In 1965, those living in the north were 16% more likely to die before the age of 75 than their southern counterparts. This had risen to just over 20% by 2008. Men were more likely to be affected. For men, the average geographical inequality rate over the period 1965 - 2008 was 15%, compared with 13% for women. Even when people in the North and the South were born into similar socio-economic circumstances, health inequalities persisted because people in the South, even if they had low incomes, had greater access to resources: "There is an overall concentration of resource in the South, the 'built environment' is very different, there's more access to education, transport and other large scale resources." These differences are not because those in the north are not looking after themselves... this is because of resources and the NHS needs to take action.