The World Health Organization (WHO) has set targets for a 25% reduction in early deaths from common long-term conditions between 2010 and 2025. The Richmond Group of Charities has funded a study which forecasts that without action the UK will miss this target, but that coordinated action could save lives above and beyond the WHO target and prevent a total of 1.12 million years lived with disability (YLD) by 2025. 

Commenting on the new study from The Richmond Group of Charities, Living longer, living well: How we can achieve the World Health Organization’s ‘25 by 25’ goals in the UK, Saffron Cordery, director of policy and strategy, NHS Providers, said:

"We strongly support the recommendations in today’s report that focus on the benefits of putting prevention first. By focusing solely on the problems of today we are storing up even greater problems for the future. Preventable ill health costs individuals, costs the NHS and costs the economy.

In 2013 nearly 25% of all deaths in England and Wales were from causes that could be avoided through healthcare or wider public health interventions

“Preventing ill health where we can means helping to prevent suffering. We know that many diseases, including breast cancer and heart disease, have common lifestyle risk factors, and simple but effective measures can help individuals take control of their risk and manage existing conditions. We often speak about placing the patient at the centre of their own care; we need our public services to support people in making positive choices that will give them a greatly enhanced quality of life."

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