Health is wealth?

Strengthening the UK’s immune system

‘Recently, the only constant has been change, the only certainty uncertainty […] But rather than being a cause for pause, I believe strongly that uncertainty should instead be the prompt for action.’

In his REAL Challenge lecture, Andrew Haldane, Chief Executive of the RSA, argues that health has rarely mattered more to the UK's strength and growth. Yet trends in health performance across the country, among both young and old, suggest a lack of resilience in outcomes and systems. This is having ‘increasingly visible and material side effects’, from lower growth to staff shortages, greater vulnerability to shocks and increased precariousness in fiscal finances.

Health is wealth? explores why health is best seen as a societal asset before outlining some of the ways in which the resilience of health outcomes and systems might be strengthened for the benefit of all.

The REAL Centre invited Andrew to deliver the 2022 REAL Challenge lecture to generate fresh ideas and debate. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of the REAL Centre or the Health Foundation.