Tackling health inequalities and helping the most deprived communities was set out today by Alan Johnson MP in a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

Alan Johnson said: “Health in the most disadvantaged parts of the country is improving rapidly, but the relative gap is growing and we will do more to reduce it. Inequalities in health go down to the root of where people are born and live, and it's time we set that right.

"I have always said that tackling health inequalities is one of my top priorities. Now is the time to redouble our efforts to meet the challenging 2010 targets, but it's also right to look further in the future.”

Labour’s Health Secretary also presented details of £34 million in funding for programmes to support local communities.

In a Department of Health document called Progress and Next Steps, Johnson highlighted successes in reducing health inequalities since it was founded by Labour 60 years ago.

Key achievements include:

• Infant mortality rate for babies under the age of one has fallen from 34 out of every 1000 births in 1948 to 5 out of every thousand births in 2006;
• Life expectancy has improved year on year for the last decade - it now stands at 77.3 for men and 81.6 for women in England;
• The proportion of children living in poverty in this country has halved in absolute terms since 1998-99;
• 2.5 million more people are in work and long term youth unemployment has practically been eradicated;
• The proportion of people living in poor housing has fallen significantly and over a million social homes have been brought up to standard.

Record spending in the NHS will increase from just over £90 billion in 2007/08 to £110 billion in 2010/11.

Progress and Next Steps includes £34 million in additional spending for programmes in 2008/09:

• £19 million to support local communities in disadvantaged areas through the Communities for Health programme
• £15 million focused on those with the greatest need including children, those living and working in disadvantaged areas and those living with mental health issues.