Building back fairer in Greater Manchester and the country

A summary of our analyses in Greater Manchester (GM), and the northwest (NW) region, might be: the NW is like England as a whole only more so. The life expectancy drop in England in 2020 was 1.2 years in men and 0.9 years in women-shocking, but not as high as in the NW. COVID-19 mortality rates were high in England; 25% higher in the NW. Inequalities in mortality are high in England; bigger in the NW. The title, Build Back Fairer, is a deliberate echo of the Build Back Better mantra, showing that the levels of social, environmental and economic inequality in society are damaging health and well-being. As the UK emerges from the pandemic, it would be a tragic mistake to re-establish the status quo that existed pre-pandemic-a status quo marked in England, over the decade from 2010, by a stagnation of health improvement that was more marked than in any rich country other than Iceland and the USA; by widening health inequalities; and by a fall in life expectancy in the most deprived 10% of areas outside London. That stagnation, those social and regional inequalities, and deterioration in health for the most deprived people are markers of a society that is not meeting the needs of its members.