Preventing ill health ‘economic imperative’

The UK “continues to underinvest” in the prevention of ill health, but ploughing money into preventing illness from occurring in the first place could give “major returns”, according to a new report.

A new report by Deloitte says that the nation currently spends 5-6% of total health expenditure on prevention “despite strong evidence of its benefits”.

The authors said that prevention is an “economic and social imperative” as the document highlights how the UK could get £8 in return for every £1 spent on preventative healthcare.

Experts said that if the UK was to increase the proportion of its healthcare expenditure to 10%, this could potentially yield £42 billion in socio-economic returns over 10 years.

The authors highlighted previous work which found that employers could see a return of £4.70 on every £1 they invest in mental health schemes through work.

Elizabeth Hampson, partner at Deloitte and the report author, said: “Preventable ill health is a tragedy for thousands of families.

“With over 75,000 deaths in England each year attributable to preventable conditions, and healthy life expectancy stagnating at just under 62 years, our analysis shows that prevention isn’t just about saving lives, it’s about building a more productive and resilient nation.”

The report highlights how investment in maternal health, oral health, diet, exercise, and vaccination, referred to in the report as “early-life prevention”, sees £13.50 returns for every £1 spent.

Interventions in later life – such as scheme to help frail people; reduce loneliness and help those with lung disease – yield £5.30 for every £1 spent, the report adds.

The Government has pledged to move from a “sickness to prevention” model in healthcare.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “By tackling the biggest drivers of poor health, we are building a healthier nation – which means mean less pressure on our NHS, a stronger economy and a happier society.

“Our Tobacco and Vapes Bill will create the first UK smoke-free generation, and we are restricting junk food advertising, limiting schoolchildren’s access to fast food and extending the soft drinks levy to more high-sugar drinks.

“We are also banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s and working with industry leaders to accelerate the availability of obesity medicines.”