The Directors of Public Health regularly review health data to ensure resources are being directed to the right interventions in our Collaborative work across Cheshire and Merseyside.
A recent in-depth review showed that the main health issues for Cheshire and Merseyside are cardiovascular disease, cancer (specifically lung cancer), respiratory, alcohol, obesity, self-harm, mental health, injuries and falls. There are challenges around health protection specifically vaccination and immunisations, also with cancer screening.
In addition, the Chief Medical Officers Annual Report 2023 and the Health Foundation Report also highlighted the issues of an aging society and the effects of people living with multiple conditions in their later years. Therefore, the aim is not only to improve life expectancy but to improve the quality of life for older people and compress the period of ill health and disability.
How this looks for the population of Cheshire and Merseyside is extensive, but some key points are:
- 6 of 9 Local Authorities in Cheshire and Merseyside have life expectancy rates statistically significantly below the England rate for males (2020-22)
- 7 of 9 Local Authorities in Cheshire and Merseyside have life expectancy rates statistically significantly below the England rate for females (2020-22)
- Healthy life expectancy figures for 2018-20 show that for males in 4 out of 9 Local Authorities are below the England figure and for females it is 3 out of 9.
Analysis of data specific to Cheshire and Merseyside, applying the assumptions of the Health Foundation report, showed that:
- The number of people living with major illness is projected to increase by a third from just below 16.7% to 19%, reaching almost 1 in 5 by 2040. (This could mean be an extra 78,231 people in Cheshire and Merseyside)
- The number of people with major illness in the 20-69 age group is predicted to increase by 4% – important for tax revenues
- The amount of time people will spend with a major illness in expected to increase from 11.2 years in 2019, to 12.6 years by 2040
- This could also mean an extra 77,010 people living with diabetes, 25,154 living with chronic kidney disease, 29,394 living with cancer, 34,230 living with atrial fibrillation and 9,801 living with dementia.
The population in Cheshire and Merseyside is predicted to increase by around 180,000 by 2040, almost the size of the population of St Helens, and of this around 131,627 will be over the age of 75.
Whilst this data review shows the scale of the challenge, there are opportunities to take more preventative action to stem the increase in disease and increase the time people live feeling healthy.
There are several Champs Public Health Collaborative programmes linked to improving outcomes in many of these risk areas including:
- Newly developed Smokefree framework for Cheshire and Merseyside
- NHS Health Checks programmes in action at place level
- Reducing alcohol harm programme, Lower My Drinking app and community liver checks
- Healthy Food Advertising launched by Knowsley Council
- Five-year Suicide Prevention Strategy with a focus on self-harm and mental wellbeing with the development of the refreshed Kind To Your Mind website
- Cheshire and Merseyside vaccination and immunisation work with a focus on inequalities.
The analysis identified that the areas of focus work undertaken by the Collaborative are meeting the key issues identified through this work, however, there is much to do to have a significant impact on the scale of the challenge.
Dr Ifeoma Onyia, Director of Public Health in Halton and Lead Director of Public Health for Strategic Intelligence in Cheshire and Merseyside, said:
“It’s essential that we look at the latest health data regularly and this review has shown some significant health issues that are affecting our population.
“As Directors of Public Health, we will work with our teams and with partners, including the NHS and UK Health Security Agency to tackle these issues and improve health outcomes.
“We are already seeing successes in Collaborative and local programmes and will continue to build on this over the next few years.”
The Directors of Public Health regularly review health data to ensure resources are being directed to the right interventions in our Collaborative work across Cheshire and Merseyside.
