Men in poorer parts of Telford die years earlier, council data reveals

Women in poorer areas are also likely to die five years earlier, according to new figures.

The data comes from a new Understanding Telford & Wrekin 2017 document compiled by Telford & Wrekin Council to give an overview of the borough’s population of the borough. The data was presented to Telford & Wrekin’s Clinical Commissioning Group at its meeting yesterday held at Harper Adams.

It can now be used as a reference for people who want to find out more information about how work can be done to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Telford.

Presenting the document, Helen Potter, from Telford & Wrekin Council, said: “The data is nothing we don’t already know but will be a reference for up to date statistics.”

Helen Onions, public health consultant for the council, said that research had already been done into life expectancies in Telford, which are already below the national average.

The average life expectancy for men in Telford is 78.1, but the lowest life expectancy is in Donnington, where men, on average, live to 74.5, with the highest is Priorslee, where men are expected to live to 86.2.

For women, the lowest life expectancy is within the Ercall Ward, at 77.9 years, with the longest for residents in Arleston at 86.8 and an average of 83 years.

Mrs Onions said overall cancer and heart disease attributed to 58 per cent of male and 49 per cent of early female deaths. But, for both sexes, higher infant mortality rates had an effect on the overall numbers of life expectancy, as did suicide rates.

Men dying earlier in their 50s and 60s also brought down average ages.

Mrs Onions said that while deaths from respiratory disease and liver diseases, 90 per cent of which were preventable, were relatively low, they were increasing with deaths from alcohol related liver disease a key problem in Telford.

Liver disease and respiratory disease had similar rates to those nationally from 2008 but became worse than those nationally in the most recent period.

Telford & Wrekin is also shown to be worse than national levels for the number of preventable deaths.

Following the presentation board member Fran Beck asked whether more could be done on suicide prevention in the borough and was told by Mrs Onions that a programme of work was already underway.

Other board members said the figures should be used to signpost residents to the most appropriate services based on location to meet their specific needs.

Board member Neil Maybury said: “Hopefully there are messages to the community that can come out of this.”