Major new report connects North’s poor health with poor productivity

Poor health has been linked with the North’s poor productivity for the first time in a major new report by six northern universities.

Health for Wealth: Building a Healthier Northern Powerhouse for UK Productivity was commissioned by the Northern Health Science Alliance to look at the relationship between the North’s poorer health and its poorer productivity.

Tackling health inequalities between the North and South would put an extra £13.2bn into the economy according to the report.

Improving health in the North would lead to substantial economic gains, reducing the £4 gap in productivity per-person per-hour between the Northern Powerhouse and the rest of England by 30% or £1.20 per-person per-hour.