SCOTS TOP YOUNGEST TO DIE LIST

Leading adviser calls for ation to stop death’ rate climbing as Nation ages’

- NEIL POORAN

SCOTLAND'S health is getting worse despite progress in the past, the head of Public Health Scotland has said.

The public health body's chief executive Paul Johnston called for a preventative approach, saying the burden of disease from an ageing nation is likely to grow.

He made the comments in an article for the think tank Reform Scotland.

Improvements in Scots life expectancy stalled in 2014 to 2016, and recent data showed a decline.

The PHS boss warned the NHS cannot deal with the issue alone.

He said: "Tackling poverty impacts on health, as does the availability of good work, high-quality education and childcare, affordable housing, addressing climate change and tackling racism."

He added: "People in Scotland now die younger than in any other western European country.