In areas across Gwent people are not living as long as they should in good health – and Gwent Public Services Board partners are looking to change that.

Building a Fairer Gwent: Improving Health Equity and the Social Determinants – a new report drawn up in partnership between Gwent Public Services Board (PSB) and University College London Institute of Health Equity – aims to narrow the health divide across the region.

Key report findings:

• The poorest children in Gwent start school 10 months behind those from more affluent families. Inequalities in health and wellbeing that begin at school age are likely to persist and influence health at all ages.
• Improvements in life expectancy have stalled across large parts of Gwent.
• There is a 20-year inequality gap in healthy life expectancy for women and a 13 year gap for men. These are among the widest inequality gaps in Wales.
• In Newport and Blaenau Gwent, populations of those aged 65+ are declining, either due to population decline or falling life expectancy. Healthy life expectancy in Blaenau Gwent, Newport, Torfaen and Caerphilly is also lower than the Welsh average for both women and men.