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From BBC Scotland today, the above and:
People in Scotland are spending a greater proportion of their life in poor health than in previous years, new figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS), external show. The latest figures for the 2022 to 2024 period shows healthy life expectancy is now 59.1 years for men and 59.4 years for women. Healthy life expectancy, which is the number of years a person can expect to live in good health, has been falling since the mid-2010s for both men and women. Life expectancy has seen a small increase in recent years, however.
Without the attempts, one hand-tied, of the SNP in Government, it would have been worse.
What’s my evidence? It’s not directly, but surely part, more widely, of the effects of the austerity politics of UK Conservative and now UK Labour governments.
See this:
I’ve already recommended the excellent, highly researched, ‘Social Murder? Austerity and Life Expectancy in the UK’ by David Walsh and Gerry McCartney (U of Glasgow), Policy Press.
In the opening pages, they justify the term ‘social murder‘ for the fatal consequences of economic violence against the disabled and the poor.
They estimate the level of social murder by comparing the observed mortality rates in the UK from 2012-2019 with the rate that should have emerged in those years if the prior improving trend in life expectancy had continued, uninterrupted as it did in other parts of Europe not subjected to austerity policies.
On page 14, they note that across the UK (not including N Ireland), 335 000 more died than would have been expected if the improving trends had continued and that this included 20 000 extra deaths in Scotland, leaving 315 000 for England and Wales.
Regulars and other with my kind of brain will know what’s coming.
All things being equal, pro rata, per head, you might have expected the Scottish figure to be much higher, one eleventh of the 315 000 or 28 636.
28 636 is 43% higher than expected had Scotland experienced austerity to the same extent.
The authors do not comment on this and while they do, to be fair, refer in places to the Scottish Government’s mitigation of UK austerity, they are less than complete.
So, if austerity increases the death rate, it seems more than plausible that it also reduces the proportion of life lived in good health
Might these SNP policies explain Scotland’s significantly lower extra death rate in this period and have moderated the reduction of the proportion of life lived in good health?
- Free prescriptions for all
- Lower rents and council tax
- More affordable housing
- Better NHS all round
- More GPs per head
- More nurses per head
- Better A&E performance
- Cleaner hospitals
- Better Covid response strategy
- Lower Covid death rate
- Earlier vaccination in care homes
- Better developed health and social care integration
- Plummeting crime
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Talking-up Scotland 
A higher percentage of elderly folk in Scotland screws the figures for comparison. Not comparing like for like.
Life expectancy in Scotland is 78 years. 82 for females. Females on average live 5 years more than men, worldwide.
Japan has the highest life expectancy. 85 years. Healthy diet fish & vegetables.
Spain life expectancy 84. Mediterranean diet. Healthy.
US life expectancy 76. Gun Law. More homicides.
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In fact I think that life expectancy and no doubt healthy life years, is significantly reduced for people with learning disabilities. If for example a disabled person is dismissed as ‘overweight’ or whatever by say an English consultant, then they end up having a more serious outcome for their condition which, also means life long ill health as a consquence, which also could lead to shortened life span, then that will add to the less healthy outcome into old age.
I suspect it’s a mix of things, people being less healthy into their old age, it could be in fact due to pollution, higher cancer rates due to EngGovs’ nuclear leaks in Scotland etc. and additives in food, perhaps less exercise, and of course, poverty being a huge factor.
Plenty older folk where we live, ancient in fact, all very well off. England’s austerity imposed on Scotland will certainly be a factor in people being less healthy into their old age, if they reach it that is.
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Neurodiverse people do die younger on average. Anxiety (depression) and more worry can put up blood pressure and increase the risk of heart attack and other illness. More support is needed. Health symptoms can sometimes be ignored or not recognised.
Increased use of alcohol or drugs for pain. Half the prison population are neurodiverse, undiagnosed without proper support. They are guaranteed a diagnosis under the Law but there is a waiting list. More people are being diagnosed and given the help they need. Many have talents above the norm.
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Thatcher damaged people health. Higher unemployment. 15%. Tories kept all the oil & gas revenues and left Scotland in ill health and poverty. Kept secret under the Official Secrets Act. The McCrone kept hidden for years. Alex Salmond exposed it.
Labour illegal wars, tax evasion, financial fraud, banking crash left people in poverty and ill health, especially in Scotland. North/South divide. Poverty and illness in the North. Investment in the South. Congestion in the South. Lack of facilities and opportunity in the North. Less densely populated. Devolution – population increased. Now less unemployment and poverty. . Independence would be even better.
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