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Health state life expectancies in England, Northern Ireland and Wales: between 2011 to 2013 and 2020 to 2022
ONS – March 2024
1.Main points
- Healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth, in 2020 to 2022, was highest in England (62.4 years for males, 62.7 years for females) and lowest in Wales (61.1 years for males, 60.3 years for females).
- In both England and Wales, HLE at birth in 2020 to 2022 decreased for both males and females compared with 2011 to 2013, when our time series began; in Northern Ireland, it increased for males, but decreased for females.
- In England, Northern Ireland and Wales in 2020 to 2022, females at birth are expected to live in ”good health” for a smaller proportion of life (by 1.2, 1.5 and 1.9 percentage points for each country, respectively), compared with 2011 to 2013; for males, changes were smaller than 1 percentage point.
- Disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) at age 65 years, in 2020 to 2022, was highest in England (10.5 years for males, 10.7 years for females) and lowest in Northern Ireland (9.3 years for both males and females).
- In both England and Wales, DFLE at age 65 years in 2020 to 2022 was higher for both males and females compared with 2014 to 2016, when our time series began; in Northern Ireland, it was higher for males, but was lower for females.
- Within England, in 2020 to 2022, both HLE at birth and DFLE at age 65 years were highest in the South East and lowest in the North East for each sex.
Further information – Health state life expectancies in England, Northern Ireland and Wales: between 2011 to 2013 and 2020 to 2022
Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2023
Kings Fund – March 2024
Top three findings from the BSA survey 2023
- The 2023 survey recorded the lowest levels of satisfaction since the survey began in 1983 – only 24% of the public are satisfied with the NHS, and only 13% are satisfied with social care.
- Despite low levels of public satisfaction, a large majority of the public still support the principles of the NHS.
- 48% of the public would support the government increasing taxes and spending more on the NHS.
Cost of Living Case Studies – How agencies and partnerships are making a difference in the cost-of-living crisis
Public Health Wales – march 2024
We heard from a range of partners and have highlighted 8 in-depth examples of recent work related to the cost of living crisis across Wales and the UK in this document with two further Welsh examples briefly highlighted. All of the major themes (food, energy and housing; income and debt; mental health and well-being; health and care) from our All-Wales Cost of Living summit in March 2023 are covered. Work highlighted includes examples at both the local/regional level and national level and in both urban and rural areas. It covers the breadth of Wales and beyond and features a variety of agencies and partners, including local authorities, the NHS, private businesses, and the voluntary/community sector
No- and low-alcohol drinks in Great Britain: Monitoring report’
University of Sheffield 2024
‘No- and low-alcohol drinks in Great Britain: Monitoring report’ was produced as part of an NIHR-funded project which explores whether making non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks more available and popular in Great Britain can improve people’s health.
The report draws on our analyses of commercial market research data along with our own survey data to provide a detailed description of the no/lo drinks market in Britain, who drinks these products and how that is changing over time. It also offers insights into key topics including pricing, market concentration and differences between the off-trade and on-trade sectors.
Key findings include:
- In 2022, one-third of adults consumed no/lo alcohol drinks at least once in the last year, 18 per cent consumed no/lo drinks at least once a month, and 10 per cent at least once a week
- People drinking at risky levels are more likely to consume no/lo drinks regularly than lighter drinkers or non-drinkers
- No/lo drinks are more expensive than standard alcoholic beverages – this means health inequalities may widen if people from more deprived households cannot afford them
- Major alcohol brands dominate the no/lo drinks market and account for 98 per cent of no/lo beer sales in shops
Other findings in the report show the products are increasingly popular in the UK, with sales growing to £221m in 2021, this figure has continued to rise. The government is committed to encouraging this trend as a central part of its public health policies. The monitoring reports will be produced annually and aim to help the government and health organisations better understand the role the beverages could play in improving public health.
Read the report – ‘No- and low-alcohol drinks in Great Britain: Monitoring report’
Dispelling Six Industry Myths About Alcohol Taxation
The Institute of Alcohol Studies – 2024
In this report, we look at six of the most prevalent arguments made by the alcohol industry when it seeks to have duty cut or frozen, and we demonstrate why these are fallacious.
Read the report – Dispelling Six Industry Myths About Alcohol Taxation
Adverse weather and health plan equity review and impact assessment 2024
UKHSA – 21 March 2024
The review covers:
- evidence on inequalities in risks to health from adverse weather events
- how the Adverse Weather and Health Plan addresses these risks for different populations
- recommendations for strengthening action to help reduce inequalities in risk across populations now and in future
Read the review –Adverse weather and health plan equity review and impact assessment 2024
Keeping warm and well: staying safe in cold weather – Guidance from UKHSA
UK Health Security Agency – updated March 2024
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Cold-Health Alerting (CHA) system is operated by the Met Office. The Cold-Health Alert system begins on 1 November and ends on 31 March.
Keeping warm and well: staying safe in cold weather is part of UKHSA’s Adverse Weather and Health Plan (AWHP) for cold weather advice, which aims to protect people’s health and reduce harm from adverse cold weather.
A School Nurse in Every School
QNI – March 2024
The report is based on a round table meeting of nursing leaders, charities and government on 15th December 2023. The round table was a joint initiative by The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI), the College of Medicine, and the School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA). The report brings together evidence and insights about the decline in school nurse numbers since 2009, summarises the impact on the health and wellbeing of children and young people, and offers a range of solutions.
There has been a 33% fall in the number of school nurses since 2009 across England, though this headline figure hides great variation: in some local authority areas school nursing is no longer commissioned at all. This is a clear instance of a postcode lottery with very serious consequences for families and for child health.
While the Healthy Child Programme 5-19 offers a plan for good child health, local authorities, which have commissioned school nursing since 2012 do not have the resources to deliver on the plan. School nurses are unable to work as true public health professionals, instead being limited to predominantly concentrate all nursing work on safeguarding for the most vulnerable.
Read the report – A School Nurse in Every School
Getting under the bonnet: Implementing the NHS Health Check – including case studies
LGA – March 2024
The NHS Health Check is a national programme commissioned by local councils that measures a range of risk factors. These case studies highlight how councils are working with the NHS to deliver health checks for their communities.
Further information – Getting under the bonnet: Implementing the NHS Health Check
Public Health News 