Herefordshire is one of the best places to live in the UK, and people in the county are more likely to live longer to enjoy it.
New health profiles issued by the Department of Health show that the 178,400 people who live in the county generally enjoy better health than the average for the rest of the country and the region. Herefordshire men are likely to live to be almost 78 on average, and women nearly 83.
Early death rates from heart disease and stroke and from cancer have fallen in the county over the past ten years and have always remained below the national average.
Very few areas of Herefordshire fall into the most deprived 20 per cent of areas in England and none fall into the least deprived 20 per cent either. But the difference in life expectancy varies from 74.4 years for men and 80.7 for women in the most deprived areas of the county, to a maximum of 80.9 for men and 86.2 in the more affluent areas.
The good news is that Herefordshire is also below average in terms of levels of deprivation, child poverty, teenage pregnancy and violent crime, and GCSE achievement is better than average. Rates of hospital stay for alcohol related harm and rates of drug misuse are also lower than the England average.
Death from smoking related causes is at a lower rate than average as is the estimated proportion of adults who smoke. However, smoking during pregnancy in higher than in the rest of England.
However, Herefordshire still has a problem when it comes to rates of road injuries and deaths, as these are still higher than the national average. In addition, the estimated proportion of adults who are obese is higher; and levels of tooth decay in five-year-old children are higher than the average too.
Priorities for the county are reducing harmful alcohol use, roads injuries and deaths, reducing obesity in adults and further reducing the rate of smoking.
The profiles give a snapshot of health for each council area in England using key health indicators, which enables comparison locally, regionally and in some cases over time. They are designed to help local councils and the NHS decide where to target resources in their area.
Herefordshire Primary Care Trust and Herefordshire Council are working with a range of partners to challenge the links between high social deprivation and poor health with a particular emphasis on services for children, promoting healthy lifestyles and packages of care for older people.
Herefordshire’s Public Health Annual Report focuses on helping local people make the right lifestyle choices, such as help with quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, using alcohol sensibly and practicing safer sex, as well as protecting from health threats. The council is also working with partners on a countywide road safety strategy in a bid to cut road deaths.
Said Dr Akeem Ali, Herefordshire’s director for public health: “The health profile for Herefordshire is largely positive and means people generally enjoy a high quality of life for longer. However, the primary care trust and the council are working closely on a series of campaigns that help people make the right lifestyle choices and ensure that local healthcare is of high quality, adding years to life and life to years”.
NHS Herefordshire’s Public Health Annual Report is available on its website: www.herefordshire.nhs.uk
