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Professor Anthony Kessel, the report’s author |
Life expectancy lowest in capital
Trust initiatives will aim to cut smoking, drinking, heart attacks, schizophrenia and suicides
MEN in St Pancras and Somers Town have the lowest life expectancy in any ward in London, a study into the state of the health of the population of Camden reveals.
The Camden Primary Care Trust report, written by public health director Professor Anthony Kessel and a team of health experts, shows that death rates for Kentish Town, Kilburn, St Pancras and Somers Town wards are 35 per cent higher than national averages.
Public health assistant director, Maggie Pacini, said: “Everyone is well aware of the links between deprivation, health and mortality.
“St Pancras and Somers Town is the most deprived ward in Camden and one of the most deprived wards in London. Areas of deprivation are also characterised by high levels of smoking, which is a significant cause of death. St Pancras and Somers Town also has the largest Bangladeshi population and smoking rates are higher in this community.”
The report, which focused on smoking, also contains key goals for health experts in the coming years.
Prof Kessel said the report highlighted the dangers. He said: “Our two previous health reports provided overviews of key public health issues in the borough. This year we have opted for a themed report. This is because public health parameters do not change substantially between one year and the next, so a generic report makes sense every few years and avoids unnecessary repetition. Undertaking a report on a particular theme also provides the opportunity to delve into the chosen area in more depth.”
The PCT outline their aims for employing health services in the future. The PCT are pledging to tackle a range of killer diseases and unhealthy lifestyles. They also said they will up immunisation rates for combined jabs for school children and ensure older people have access to flu vaccinations and promote anti-drink and drug programmes.
Ms Pacini added: “The recommendations set out in the report address the causes of ill-health and inequalities and aim to improve health from childhood through to older age. They are a mix of initiatives aimed at supporting individuals and collective action to support whole communities.
“The recommendations are to guide the commissioning of appropriate services and activities, and encompass health promotion initiatives such as work in schools, health protection initiatives such as screening and immunisation, and the development of local services such as a stepped care approach to mental health. The recommendations have been drawn from key national strategies and local assessments of the specific needs of the people of Camden.”
Other schemes include setting up a health promotion programme to cut heart attacks. The report states it will “...identify and work with those at the highest risk of cardio-vascular disease, with particular emphasis on men in routine and manual occupations and using interventions in work places.”
The report had found that if you live in Kentish Town, St Pancras or Somers Town your chances of dying of a heart attack is a third higher than the national average.
It also pledges help for those who most need it: schemes for homeless people and refugees will be targetted with an emphasis on mental health. About 30 people commit suicide each year in the borough, and according to Whitehall statistics, Camden has one of the highest needs in the UK for mental health services – 109 per cent above the national average. Emergency admissions to hospital because of schizophrenia are among the highest 10 per cent in the country, and are around twice the national average. Camden’s mortality rates show 600 deaths each year are of people under the age of 75, which is 28 per cent above the national average.
Cancers caused over a quarter of deaths in the borough between 2003 to 2005 – but the numbers are falling. However, people being screened for breast cancer stands at 63 per cent of women – below a national average of 76 per cent.
Other lifestyle trends have been identified: 17 per cent of people are identified as binge drinkers, while drug use is prevalent. A third of people arrested and tested for drugs were found to have used cocaine and opiates, the highest of 12 London boroughs for which figures are available. |
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