Minister’s alarm at lives ‘cut short’ in the North

People living in the North of England have a greater risk of dying early than those in the South, “shocking” figures for premature death rates reveal today.
The parents of Catherine Wells-Burr, Phil and Jayne Wells-Burr leave Bristol Crown Court after Rafal Nowak, 31, Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, and Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38, were sentenced to life for the murder of 23-year-old Catherine.The parents of Catherine Wells-Burr, Phil and Jayne Wells-Burr leave Bristol Crown Court after Rafal Nowak, 31, Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, and Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38, were sentenced to life for the murder of 23-year-old Catherine.
The parents of Catherine Wells-Burr, Phil and Jayne Wells-Burr leave Bristol Crown Court after Rafal Nowak, 31, Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, and Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38, were sentenced to life for the murder of 23-year-old Catherine.

The Longer Lives website from Public Health England ranks local authorities according to numbers of people under 75 who die over a two-year period.

Manchester has the worst overall level of early death and Wokingham in Berkshire the best, with fewer than half the rate of deaths.

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In Yorkshire, Hull has the worst record for premature deaths, ranking it 146th out of 150 authorities, and North Yorkshire has the best record in the region, ranking it 34th in England.

The parents of Catherine Wells-Burr, Phil and Jayne Wells-Burr leave Bristol Crown Court after Rafal Nowak, 31, Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, and Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38, were sentenced to life for the murder of 23-year-old Catherine.The parents of Catherine Wells-Burr, Phil and Jayne Wells-Burr leave Bristol Crown Court after Rafal Nowak, 31, Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, and Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38, were sentenced to life for the murder of 23-year-old Catherine.
The parents of Catherine Wells-Burr, Phil and Jayne Wells-Burr leave Bristol Crown Court after Rafal Nowak, 31, Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, and Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38, were sentenced to life for the murder of 23-year-old Catherine.

Overall 12 council areas in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, northern Lincolnshire and Hull were rated among 70 in the country with the worst records. North Yorkshire, York and the East Riding were rated among 56 with the best for premature deaths.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “This shocking variation in early and unnecessary deaths means people’s lives are needlessly cut short and that cannot continue unchecked.

“I want areas to use the data released today to identify local public health challenges like smoking, drinking and obesity and to take action to help achieve our ambition for saving 30,000 lives a year by 2020.”

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In Manchester, there were 455 premature deaths per 100,000 people from 2009 to 2011. Hull saw 375 per 100,000 people dying early, with 2,800 early deaths overall.

Catherine Wells-BurrCatherine Wells-Burr
Catherine Wells-Burr

Wokingham in Berkshire had 200 deaths in the same period per 100,000, making it the best among 150 authorities.

Prof John Newton, chief knowledge officer at Public Health England (PHE), said it was “urgent” something was done about health inequalities in England.

Under the NHS reforms, local councils have been given responsibility to enhance public health.

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“The message for local authorities is that there are a large number of people dying before they should and that there are things that can be done,” he said.

From lefT: Rafal Nowak, 31, his secret lover Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, and her uncle Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38From lefT: Rafal Nowak, 31, his secret lover Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, and her uncle Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38
From lefT: Rafal Nowak, 31, his secret lover Anna Lagwinowicz, 32, and her uncle Tadevsz Dmytryszyn, 38

There are 103,000 avoidable early deaths in England each year, according to Public Health England, with the four major killers, heart disease and stroke, cancer, liver disease and lung disease, identified being responsible for 75 per cent of those deaths.

That places it seventh out of 17 European countries for men and 15th for women – a figure that “must improve”, Prof Newton added. Recent figures show the situation is improving, with overall premature death rates coming down, he added.

Longer Lives groups areas with similar levels of deprivation so local authorities can see how they are doing compared with others of a similar socio-economic status.

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The ranking shows that Rotherham and North East Lincolnshire are doing well among the most deprived areas, while York and the East Riding have some of the highest rates of early deaths in the least deprived areas.

Prof Paul Johnstone, regional director for PHE in the North of England, said: “We have seen good inroads made already into driving down early deaths from some of these major killers and narrowing the inequalities gap in some parts of the North of England, but there is no doubt much more needs to be done.

“It’s important to be clear that there are lots of reasons why discrepancies in levels of health exist. Lots of issues like being in a job, living in safe housing, good town planning with green spaces and leisure areas and access to good education all affect how healthy people are.

“One of the opportunities in moving public health from the NHS into local government, is to help tackle these wider issues.

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“Not everything can be done locally either. Job creation, regeneration and policies on childhood poverty, alcohol consumption, tobacco, educational attainment and promoting healthy eating are also the responsibility of national government.”

Stephen Morton, regional director of PHE, said: “The evidence is clear – a person’s likelihood of dying prematurely from one of the top four killers varies widely between local authorities due to differences in risk factors, such as obesity, alcohol and smoking and that these are closely linked to economic deprivation.”