29.11.16
Life expectancy in UK rises but north-south divide remains
Life expectancy in the UK is continuing to rise but so are the number of years spent in bad health, having a knock-on effect to the NHS and social care system.
Official figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that life expectancy for a new-born boy increased to 79.2 in 2013-15, compared with 78.5 in 2009-11, while new-born girls can expect to survive by a further 0.4 years.
However, healthy life expectancy remained largely static for both genders, meaning that the number of years people spend not in good health has increased. This has led to increased pressures on the NHS and adult social care facing greater demand from older people.
Sarah Caul, ONS’s senior health researcher, said: “Improvements to healthcare and living healthier lives mean that as a nation, we are living longer, and new-born boys and girls can expect to live for 79 and 83 years respectively.
“However, while we are living longer, we are spending a smaller proportion of our overall lives in good health, which puts a greater challenge on health services.”
A north-south divide in life expectancy remains despite the rise, with the highest life expectancies for males and females in London and Hampshire respectively, while Scotland has the lowest life expectancy for both genders. Men in Glasgow are expected to live a whole decade less than their counterparts in Kensington and Chelsea, with the top 17 areas of lowest male life expectancy all in Scotland or the north of England.
There were even larger differences in healthy life expectancy, with females in the Orkney Islands expected to have 23 more years of good health than women living in Antrim and Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. The highest gap between men was close to 18 years, with males in Tower Hamlets, London, having the lowest healthy life expectancy of 54 years.
The government is currently facing intense pressure from health experts and politicians to increase funding for the NHS and adult social care among concerns that hospitals are struggling to discharge elderly patients due to insufficient social care capacity. There was widespread disappointment that the issue was not addressed by the chancellor, Phillip Hammond, in last week’s Autumn Statement.
Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become an NHE columnist? If so, click here.