Website of the Department of Health

Post-2010 strategic review of health inequalities (the Marmot Review)

Health Inequalities: Progress and Next Steps (2008) set out what will be done to sustain a focus on health inequalities beyond the life of the 2010 national health inequalities target. It recognised the success of the cross government strategy Programme for Action (2003) in creating momentum and innovation to reduce health inequalities and feel that with the right tools and levers, evidence and learning in place, there is now the opportunity to build on this work into the next decade.

To this end, on 6 November 2008, the Secretary of State for Health, announced that Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Chair of the WHO Commission for Social Determinants, will lead a Post 2010 Strategic Review of Health Inequalities. The review will be wide ranging and will require the Department of Health leadership across government to develop a joint approach to tackling health inequalities. Local government, the NHS, health and social care system and local community organisations will also be important partners with whom we will need to engage with to help us meet our challenge post 2010, as well as the advice of many experts to help shape our thinking.

The key objective of the review is to focus on the social determinants of health and in particular, the way they influence health inequalities. The review terms of reference are:

to advise the Secretary of State for Health on the future development of a health inequalities strategy by taking into account the best global evidence appropriate to England from the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, and the work of the last 10 years.  The review team will liaise with the Department of Health and national and local stakeholders and work to timeframes of what can be achieved in the short to medium (to 2015) and longer term (to 2020).  In particular, it will

(i) identify, for the health inequalities challenge facing England, the evidence most relevant to underpinning future policy and action

(ii) show how this evidence could be translated into practice

(iii) advise on possible objectives and measures, building on the experience of the current PSA target on infant mortality and life expectancy

(iv) publish a report of the review's work that will contribute to the development of a post-2010 health inequalities strategy

The review will provide regular outputs against an agreed schedule to the Secretary of State during the course of the review.  This review will be commissioned and funded by the Department of Health.

The review team consists of a steering group of commissioners of leading experts and key players to oversee the course of the review and three workstreams looking at the evidence, metrics and implementation. The review is supported by a Secretariat based at the University College of London.

The final report will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Health, by the end of 2009. This review will contribute to the development of a post cross-government national health inequalities strategy.

• Further information on the review team and its work can be found on the Secretariat website (opens new window)