Life expectancy in the West Midlands is below the national average
Life expectancy for people in the West Midlands is below the national average, with figures showing an increase in the number of preventable deaths.The West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) State of the Region draft report revealed that between 2021-23, the life expectancy for women was 82.5 years and 78.4 for men – below the England average of 83.1 for women and 79.1 for men.More positively, the figures were an increase on the 2018-20 period for the region of 81.9 years for women and 77.6 for men.The report said: "By focusing on the socio-economic causes of health inequalities, the region's below-average life expectancy and high levels of preventable deaths can be addressed."
The report stated Solihull – the most affluent area in the region – had the highest life expectancy, while Sandwell and Wolverhampton, among the most deprived, had the lowest.It also revealed the number of preventable deaths in the West Midlands had increased sharply, particularly during the Covid pandemic.Environmental factors were also identified as having a major impact on people's health in the region.The report also showed there had been a decline in deaths attributed to particulate air pollution within the West Midlands from 7.5 per cent in 2018 to 6.2 per cent in 2022, but this was still higher than the national average of 5.8 per cent.The West Midlands had the lowest percentage of physically active children and young people at 49 per cent, while obesity rates among reception children were the highest in the country at 10.9 per cent.The report said public services needed to be reformed to become more "integrated and strongly focused" on prevention."[Also] interventions built around the way people live their lives so that the socio-economic causes of health inequalities can be addressed."
This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.
Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
'Inspiring' hospital chaplain dies as tributes paid to 'passionate and compassionate' woman
Reverend Captain Katie Watson has been described as a "unique, inspiring, passionate and compassionate" person who had touched thousands of lives. A popular hospital chaplain died just a month after being discharged from an inpatient mental health ward where she had been "treading water" for months, an inquest heard. Reverend Captain Katie Watson has been described by her partner Dr Emily Watson as a "unique, inspiring, passionate and compassionate" person who had touched thousands of lives. Capt Watson, who was an ordained deacon, appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Geordie Hospital and through her work at the RVI and the Freeman Hospitals she had become a much-loved local figure before her death on September 20 last year. The show, which highlighted work at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital during the later periods of the Covid-19 pandemic, featured her on the wards supporting colleagues and patients, along with welfare dogs Poppy Jingles and Fern. As reported by the Chronicle, acting senior coroner Karin Welsh heard at the inquest how Rev'd Capt Watson's mental health had worsened through 2023 and she had struggled with issues including suicidal ideation. Welsh ruled In her conclusion that Rev'd Capt Watson's death was suicide. In her remarks, however, the coroner added that Rev'd Capt Watson had been absent from work due to her mental health for a period in late 2022, and then again from October 2023 - this latter absence followed a colleague's death. She had also experienced an interpersonal issue at work which contributed to her stress. Welsh also referred to how Rev'd Capt Watson had not had a named psychologist for a seven week period during her time as an inpatient- but said it would be "conjecture" to draw any firm conclusions about the impact this would have had on her discharge from hospital - or when that might have been. Another issue saw details of a discharge letter shared with Rev'd Capt Watson via the NHS App, causing her distress as elements of her "formulation" had not be discussed with her. Welsh also said she could "understand the position that Katie was treading water" when on the ward, rather than making progress with regard to her recovery. She added that issues at work had "clearly caused Katie distress" but added: "In my view these issues were managed appropriately by the trust." The coroner paid tribute to Rev'd Capt Watson, saying: "As an army captain, but then Chaplain Katie had great empathy for those she was involved with at work, where she went above and beyond." She said that "underlying issues" appeared to have come to the fore - and added: "In short, although some elements of her care could have been done differently, it's my view this would not have altered the outcome for Katie. Therefore my conclusion must be one of suicide." Acting senior coroner Welsh added that those she worked with in pathology had spoken highly of Rev'd Capt Watson - and that she was described as "exceptionally helpful" in complex and difficult cases involving the deaths of children. Following the inquest, Dr Watson paid a moving tribute. She said: "Katie was a unique, inspiring, passionate and compassionate person who touched the lives of thousands of people. I am very grateful for the many hundreds of cards and messages I received when she died, and all the stories of how her ministry supported people at some of their darkest times. It is desperately sad that she wasn't able to see for herself how loved she was, and I am sorry that mental health services in their current condition were not able to help her. She is deeply missed by us all." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The inquest earlier evidence both from the psychiatric consultants - employed by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust - who were responsible for Rev'd Capt Watson's care in hospital and in the community. Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust joint medical director Dr Michael Wright also gave evidence as to the issues experienced at work. Dr Wright said: "It's of immense concern to me and many others that a member of staff - one of our members of staff most valued by others - clearly at times did not feel that way. We have all reflected as to whether we did all we could to make her feel valued and [to show her] quite how important she was to our organisation. Procedures and processes were followed but does that mean there isn't anything we can learn from this? Absolutely not." He agreed that Revd Capt Watson was a "huge miss" and said work was ongoing to embed an NHS England "toolkit" designed to prevent NHS staff from dying due to suicide. The inquest had heard how her "exceptionally high standards" may have put herself under significant strain, while psychiatrists also referred to her experience of trauma during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic. In court, Dr Watson queried why the trauma that her partner had experienced was not considered a greater factor in her diagnostic "formulation" while an inpatient - which instead focussed on "personality traits" and "emotionally unstable personality disorder". It was an element of this diagnosis was mentioned in a letter that one of Rev'd Capt Watson's consultants had not realised would be uploaded to her NHS App - and this caused her "significant distress" in the weeks prior to her death. However, Dr Faheem Ahmad said the opinion of staff at the inpatient ward during her months-long admission had been that Capt Watson's struggles were focussed around situations at her workplace and her "anger" at those. Dr Rachael Hall spoke in court to say she had not realised this would be the case and had made an urgent effort - accepted by Rev'd Capt Watson, to speak with her, explain the situation and continue their work together. Rev'd Capt Watson's death last autumn saw huge numbers of tributes - including from the senior Church of England Bishop of Newcastle and Northumberland. Right Reverend Dr Helen-Ann Hartley and the Right Reverend Mark Wroe. They said: "It is with a profound sense of sadness and grief that we received the news about Katie, and our first thoughts are with her partner Emily and their children and all who knew and loved Katie. "From her much valued work as a hospital chaplain, which reached beyond the bounds of the North East, to her many colleagues from her past career, and the sporting and running communities she was a part of, to all of us here in the Diocese of Newcastle, we mourn her death with a deep feeling of loss."
Daily Record
7 hours ago
- Daily Record
Kate Garraway felt 'it was no longer safe' while caring for Derek Draper
Kate Garraway has spoken candidly about the struggles she faced while caring for her late husband Derek Draper as he battled long Covid before his tragic death. Kate Garraway has bravely shared the challenges she faced while caring for her late husband Derek Draper, admitting there was a point when she no longer felt safe. Derek passed away at the age of 56 in 2022 after suffering a cardiac arrest. His health continued to decline following a long battle with health issues stemming from long Covid. Derek's condition worsened significantly after he caught Covid in March 2020, leading to his sad death four years later in January last year. Good Morning Britain host Kate stood by his side, taking on the role of his main carer. However, she has disclosed that exhaustion reached such a level at one point that she feared the situation had become a hazard for both herself and her children, reports the Mirror. In a conversation with the Sun, Kate detailed a three week period where there was a lack of care for Derek as authorities deliberated over which agency would be most appropriate to assist the family. During this time, she "had no choice but to try to get through looking after Derek 24/7 completely alone". Kate admitted: "By the end I was so sleep-deprived I was scared it was no longer safe - for me, for the children, let alone for Derek." She continued, "In desperation I called health services again and this time refused to get off the phone until some answer was given. In the end, the person on the other end of the phone, who was also clearly exhausted, told me, 'There is nothing I can do but - and this isn't official - you are not alone and what I always say to people is take him to AandE and leave him there, then they legally have to do something.'" Kate was taken aback that it had come to this point, questioning how the best solution seemed to be to "abandon" someone who wasn't safe to be left alone. She expressed gratitude for family members who assisted in the dreadful situation, but acknowledged that others might not be as fortunate. Kate also confessed to still experiencing a "tsunami of sadness", often waking up in the middle of the night in a panic thinking she hasn't given her husband his medication. She previously shared the poignant last moments she and her two children spent with Derek. In a conversation last year, Kate recalled how proud dad Derek told his children, Darcey and Billy: "You're the best children anyone could ask for. Look after mum, be good for her." Tragically, this was the last time Derek saw his two children before falling into a coma. Kate openly praised her children for their handling of their father's condition and passing. Speaking on Good Morning Britain in February last year in 2024, Kate said: "It was one of those stop-the-clock moments, where you want the world to stop. "It swamps you. We now have 24 hours, [which] turned out to be more of a month, of fighting on and fighting on, following the prognosis that he won't make it through. For the children when they heard he won't make it through, they've heard it so many times. "They were so beautiful, the children, about that. They individually had time with him on his own and Darcey said, 'If, dad, you can't do this, it's okay. Don't worry about us'. And I had similar conversations, a chance to hold his hand and smell his skin and hold him all the way through, and some people don't get that."
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
Do you have a summer cold or is it the new strain of Covid?
We associate colds and viruses with the winter, and for good reason. Illness spikes in the colder months because it's a time when we huddle indoors, creating the perfect environment for viruses to spread. Then there's the cold air, which dries out our airways and leaves us more vulnerable to catching bugs. Why then are we still getting colds in the summer? The culprits: there are still bugs that can make you sniffily at this time of year, and there's also a new Covid strain beginning to spread in Britain. So, which could be making you unwell and, most importantly, what can you do to avoid it? What's happening with the new strain of Covid? The NB.1.8.1 Covid strain is the latest that health officials are keeping their eyes on. It first emerged in China in January and the World Health Organization (WHO) began tracking it a fortnight ago because of some potentially worrying mutations that the variant carries. 'There is some early indication that it may be slightly better at evading immune responses and antibodies, but this is very early data,' explains Dr Lindsay Broadbent, assistant professor in virology at the University of Surrey. However, the risk posed by NB.1.8.1 remains low, and there is no evidence that it causes a more severe illness or is drastically different to previous strains of the virus, she notes. 'People don't need to be overly concerned,' Dr Broadbent adds. Latest weekly data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) suggests there's been a slight uptick in Covid infections in recent weeks. Of patients tested by their GP, 5.2 per cent tested positive for Covid, up from 4.5 per cent the week before. Since first being detected in the UK in January there have been 13 confirmed cases of NB.1.8.1, though 12 of these were recorded in April and May. For context, around 50 positive tests are currently being sequenced per week. This is when a throat or nose sample that tested positive for Covid is genetically sequenced to determine the variant behind the infection. 'NB.1.8.1 has been detected in small numbers in the UK to date, but international data suggests that it is growing as a proportion of all Covid cases,' notes Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of the UKHSA. 'Based on the available information so far, however, there is no evidence to suggest that this variant causes more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against it.' Why are people still getting summer colds? While there is typically a cyclical spike in colds in the winter, that doesn't mean they disappear in the warmer months. In fact, some cold-causing viruses, such as parainfluenza virus Type 3 and enteroviruses (especially coxsackieviruses and echoviruses) are much more common in the summer, says Prof Fidelma Fitzpatrick, head of clinical microbiology at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and consultant microbiologist in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. Summer colds can also be caused by adenoviruses, which spread year-round but can have peaks in the summer, and rhinoviruses, which is the classic winter cold but is still around in the summer, she says. 'The risk of being exposed to a virus and getting sick depends on lots of factors including our behaviour, the environment and how common those viruses are at any given time,' Dr Broadbent explains. As we enter the summer, people's social calendars tend to fill up with weddings, parties, festivals and holidays, meaning lots of mixing between different groups and generations that wouldn't be together otherwise, says Prof Fitzpatrick. 'There is often more socialising and travel during the summer months, this may mean we are in contact with a lot more people than usual,' Dr Broadbent confirms. Adding to that is that activities that often come with summer festivities – alcohol, a lack of sleep and eating more processed foods – are known to weaken our immune system, making us less equipped to fight off these cold-causing bugs, Prof Fitzpatrick says. Additionally, air conditioning can dry out our nasal passages, which makes it easier for viruses to infect, she notes. It's unclear whether summer colds are on the rise, as the specific viruses that cause them are not tracked. Latest UKHSA data suggests that parainfluenza cases decreased slightly in the week to June 1, though this reflects the trend for all four types of parainfluenza and only Type 3 is specifically linked with summer colds. What are the symptoms to watch out for? Covid continues to cause cold-like symptoms for most people. 'Most infected people have mild to moderate symptoms,' says Prof Fitzpatrick. These include a runny nose, sore throat, congestion, a mild cough, tiredness and headaches. However, people with underlying health conditions face a higher risk of developing more serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, and the illness lasting for longer. It's impossible to know from the symptoms alone whether you have Covid or a summer cold, as the latter also causes a runny nose, low energy, muscle aches, a cough, headache and sore throat, Prof Fitzpatrick says. However, Covid tests are available from pharmacies with prices starting around £2, which can indicate if that virus is to blame. While there are no Covid restrictions in place, official advice recommends trying to stay at home if you catch the virus.
