A healthy profile

Topics: Public health, data

The NHS and Department of Health have launched Community Health Profiles - for almost every council in England*. If you haven't had a look at these, they're pretty neat. The profiles themselves are brief - and, I think, fairly easy to understand - with summary data at authority level and some at ward level.

I've had a look at my own area - the London Borough of Wandsworth (link to the 4 page pdf profile) - to see how well we're doing compared to the rest of England.

Wandsworth residents are more like to eat healthy (I do try!), but also more likely to suffer ill health from smoking (I'm afraid I contribute to this, too.)

It's also interesting to look at the health inequalities- or the differences between health outcomes (life expectancy, etc) across the borough. There's about a five year difference in expected lifespan from one area of the borough to another - and I don't live in one of the longer-living wards.

The IDeA is working with the Department of Health to support councils in doing what they can to reduce health inequalities and help local people choose healthier options. Find out more about the IDeA's Healthy Communities programme.
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*missing out only the Isles of Scilly and the City of London on data issues.


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