Inequalities in health persist and, in some cases, have widened, a government report launched this week has said. This is despite record spending in the NHS in England, which will further increase from just over £90bn (€113, $176) in 2007-8 to £100bn in 2010-11.

The report, Health inequalities: progress and next steps, sets out the government’s plans to tackle health inequalities and help the most deprived communities. The report renewed the government’s pledge to reduce inequalities in health outcomes by 10% as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at birth by 2010.

Speaking at the launch health secretary, Alan Johnson, …