In The Lancet Public Health, Joanna Davies and colleagues examine the relationship between socioeconomic position and receipt of hospital-based care towards the end of life for older people,1 showing that lower wealth is associated with increased hospital admissions in the last 2 years of life and a higher probability of death in hospital. This is an important contribution to the literature as it adds weight to the growing understanding of the importance of non-clinical factors such as socioeconomic status to patterns and quality of health care and its usage. These factors have been brought into sharp focus during the COVID-19 syndemic, recognising the biological and social interactions that are important for prognosis, treatment, and health policy.2