Independent report

Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2020: health trends and variation in England

Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty’s first annual report presents an overview of the health of England’s population.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

Professor Chris Whitty highlights the importance of health surveillance in monitoring trends and prioritising areas for action.

After a brief section on the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in England, the main report consists of a collection of charts that present a broad and high-level overview of the nation’s health across a range of health outcomes and public health indicators. A key theme is the variation in health that exists across different dimensions: over geographies, over time, and between groups of people.

The main report is divided into 6 chapters:

  • Life expectancy and population change
  • Mortality and morbidity
  • Children and young people
  • Wider determinants of health
  • Risk factors and health promotion
  • Preventative care and healthcare

Professor Chris Whitty’s report is independent of government and is primarily aimed at government, policymakers and healthcare and public health professionals.

Updates to this page

Published 18 December 2020

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