New report confirms Telford and Wrekin health challenges
A report published into avoidable deaths today highlights the key challenges facing Telford and Wrekin in improving people’s health.
Public Health England’s Longer Lives tool ranks councils for the number of early deaths caused by the biggest killers such heart disease, strokes and cancer.
Telford & Wrekin Council, which this April took on responsibility for Public Health, says that the report confirms that its health and well being strategy, delivered together with Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS England is targeting the right priorities.
The report says that Telford and Wrekin is worse than average across a number of areas and ranks it 96th out of 150 local authorities for early deaths.
The borough is in the bottom third and flagged red for the number of early deaths from cancer and heart disease and strokes. For early deaths from lung and liver disease performance is average and is rated amber.
The report says that councils can help reduce people dying early by tackling the big lifestyles issues that are at the root of many of these problems – for example stopping or cutting down smoking, promoting safe and sensible drinking and getting people more active and improving their diet.
Cllr Richard Overton, cabinet member with responsibility for public health and public protection, said: “Longer Lives confirms what we have long known to be the major public health challenges for the borough. Indeed many of these issues had earlier been identified in our own State of the Borough report.
“It also confirms that the health and wellbeing priorities we and our partners together with the community have set ourselves are the right ones.”
Shropshire Council rated above average in tackling avoidable deaths ranking 36 out of 150 councils across England in overall premature deaths. Along with Solihull Council the authority has the lowest rates of heart disease and stroke related deaths in the West Midlands, ranking at 25th and 28th respectively – well below the national average.
Shropshire ranked 51 out of 150 of cancer related deaths, 29 out of 149 local authorities of lung disease related deaths and 39 out of 149 councils for liver disease related deaths.
The data and website will provide local areas with information to help local authorities understand their own position and better target efforts to improve the health of the people they serve.
Councillor Karen Calder, Cabinet Member for Health at Shropshire Council said;
“We welcome the Public Health’s England national Longer Lives campaign and whilst the outcomes for Shropshire are good, we are absolutely committed to overcoming health inequalities in our county. Shropshire council as part of its new public health responsibilities is very keen to promote health and Wellbeing and to encourage individuals, families and communities to work with us and Shropshire’s Clinical Commissioning Group to reduce the occurrence of long term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity to enable local people to live healthier for longer.”
To view the data visit http://www.longerlives.phe.org.uk
