A new report out today lays out the consequences of the country’s failure to address inequalities in poverty and health care in the light of the Covid pandemic.

Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot Review by Professor Sir Michael Marmot investigates how the pandemic has affected health inequalities in the UK.

The report highlights the impacts of the pandemic on disadvantaged children’s education and young people’s employment.

Teachers in the most deprived schools are over three times more likely to report that their pupils are four months or more behind in their curriculum than those in the least deprived schools.

Furthermore, teachers estimate that 44% of their pupils are in need of intensive catch-up support. These estimates are much higher in the most deprived schools and in schools serving the highest proportion of pupils from minority ethnic communities.

Many parents accessed some form of support to help with their children’s development during lockdown. However, the level of support accessed varied by family income, with high income parents’ households more likely to have received online support from their early learning providers than low-income households – 31% compared to 23%

The likelihood of a worker who was furloughed during lockdown not being in work by September was particularly high for the young (19% of workers age 18–24 who were furloughed in lockdown were not in work in September), for those in insecure work (22%), for workers from minority ethnic communities (22%); and those working in hospitality (15%).

Dr Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive of the Health Foundation, commented:

‘There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic will take its toll on society for some time to come. The virus itself and the measures that have been taken to contain it, such as lockdown, have been hugely significant and felt by everyone. This report highlights the unequal impact it has had, affecting some people much more than others.

‘Putting the health and welfare of the next generation at the heart of the UK’s recovery plans will be critical in the years ahead. It should concern us all that the pandemic has hit young people so hard, affecting their education, their work and income.

‘The report reveals that rising unemployment and low wages resulting from the pandemic have particularly impacted on younger people. This has long-term implications for their future health and wellbeing. Unless action is taken, we risk this causing long-term damage to their health and our society.

‘We know that education is critical not only for development, but also for long-term health. The pandemic has interrupted the nation’s schooling, with children from more disadvantaged backgrounds harmed more by school closures than their peers from wealthier backgrounds.

‘Mitigating the damage caused by the pandemic to education, employment and income must be at the heart of the government’s plans for recovery and levelling up. For young people, this means practical help to find employment and training to access better quality jobs. As we rebuild, these measures are vital to ensure that the generation of young people who have lived through the pandemic don’t continue to feel its impact on their health throughout the rest of their lives.’

Helen Barnard, Director of the independent Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said:

The pandemic has laid bare the terrible consequences of failing to address poverty and health inequality in this country. Communities that were already struggling have been hit hardest and now face a rising tide of unemployment that risks further entrenching poverty and ill health.

“It can never be right that someone’s life chances are so profoundly affected by where they live, the colour of their skin or how much money their family has. It is clear that we cannot go back to the way things were if we are to truly break poverty’s grip on our nation’s health – tackling poverty and health inequality must be at the heart of our post-Covid recovery. A Government commitment to make the £20 increase to Universal Credit permanent would be a good place to start.”

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