The focus of this report by Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Chris Whitty is on how to maximise the independence, and minimise the time in ill health, between people in England reaching older age and the end of their life. It is aimed at policymakers (government and professional bodies), healthcare professionals, medical scientists and the general public.

People are living longer; this is a triumph of medicine and public health. It is something to celebrate, but alongside this we have a responsibility in medicine, government and wider society to plan to ensure that older age is as healthy, independent and enjoyable as possible into the future.

Report chapters:

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Understanding health in an ageing society
• Chapter 3: Local authority context
• Chapter 4: Enabling older adults to live free from disease for longer
• Chapter 5: Supporting older adults to live well with disease
• Chapter 6: Physical environments that enable independence
• Chapter 7: research to improve health in an ageing society