Barnardo's chief executive Lynn Perry has released a response to new Health Foundation statistics on life expectancy.
She said: “The Health Foundation’s Healthy Life Expectancy report is an alarming reminder that too many children and young people are being held back by circumstances they can’t control. The finding that deprivation and poverty can reduce a person’s healthy life expectancy by up to 20 years needs to be an urgent wake-up call for us all.
“At Barnardo’s, we see how growing up in poverty results in millions of children are missing out on a good childhood, worrying about where their next meal might come from or too hungry to concentrate at school. As this latest report shows, this has lasting effects far beyond their childhood – impacting their health and wellbeing for the rest of their lives.
“We need to make sure that all children, regardless of their circumstances, have the opportunity to thrive. We call on the government to work towards halving child poverty in the next 10 years and make sure struggling families can afford the basic essentials they need to live.”