Young people in the North East who have grown up with their parents and grandparents out of work risk falling into the same trap, a leading doctor has warned.
Northumbria Healthcare Trust's executive medical director, Alistair Blair, warned that the region is seeing the third generation of some families either unemployed or "economically inactive" - neither working nor looking for work due to medical reasons.
The NHS boss was speaking at Thursday's meeting of Northumberland County Council's health and wellbeing board during a discussion on reducing inequalities in employment, and Dr Blair said the issue needed to be targeted by healthcare services.
