And it is growing. The average life expectancy of a man in the lowest social group is 9.5 years shorter than that of a man in the highest social group. Back in 1972, the gap was 5.5 years. The comparable gap for women is 6.4 years now, but was 5.3 years in 1972.
Poor people get poorer health services, too.
Those in lower social groups are more likely to suffer from heart disease, for example, and less likely to be treated appropriately for it. However, even if the NHS distributed its services more fairly, this would do relatively little to improve health or tackle inequalities. The government, however, is missing two opportunities. The first is to get more people at risk of ill-health into jobs. The NHS is the country's largest single employer, with hospitals and clinics often sitting in the middle of employment deserts.