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Older northerners struggling with ‘alarming’ inequalities

23 June 2025
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Older people in the North of England are more likely to be poorer, less healthy, physically inactive, lonely, and in poorer housing, according to a new report.

The findings are from the Ageing in the North study, from the Northern Health Science Alliance, which includes Durham researchers.

The findings

The report’s main findings include:

  • There are nearly one million economically inactive 50-64-year-olds in the North, contributing to a potential reduction in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of £10.9 billion per year.
  • People in the South are more likely to retire, while those in the North are more likely to leave the job market due to poor health.
  • Older people living in North East England 1.61 times more likely to be frail, 1.16 times more likely to have a fall that requires hospital treatment, and 1.14 times more likely to have a hip fracture compared the older people in South East England.
  • The cost to the NHS of falls and hip fractures in the North is £55.7 million and £258.8 million per year respectively.
  • 47 million northern homes are considered non-decent, with over a third housing over-60s residents. This is costing the NHS approximately £588 million per year.

What can be done

The report makes a series of recommendations including:

  • Adopting a cross-government approach to prevent unequal ageing, looking at themes such as education, housing, employment and health.
  • Strengthening place-based collaboration between local government, combined authorities, housing developers, the NHS, and older adult.
  • Developing and delivering a national housing strategy for older people that prioritises ageing in place and invests in age-friendly, accessible homes.
  • Significantly increasing investment in adult social care in the North of England
  • Developing an NHS-led, UK-wide strategy to address physical inactivity as a key driver of later-life health inequalities.
The factors that contribute to the struggles faced by older people make their presence felt fair earlier – in childhoods and adulthoods where poverty, poor housing, ill-health and other disadvantages are all too common. It is absolutely essential that policymakers act to help our older citizens. But they must also recognise that these issues are the result of lifelong experiences and inequalities. To achieve real tangible change, we need policies that improve lives as a whole - and tackle these issues long before they escalate.
Professor Charlotte Clarke
Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health)

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