LIFE expectancy in Wirral sees women on average living four and a half years longer than men.

Newly released data from The Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows life expectancy in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The list is ranked by life expectancy in years, starting with the highest for 2020/22.

In all English regions, Northern Ireland and Wales, life expectancy at birth from 2020 to 2022 was lower than from 2017 to 2019.

Out of 340 regions, Wirral fell in 271st place for the life expectancy at birth for females, with an age of 81.50.

It was a similar outcome for men, falling even lower down in the list at 288th place, with a life expectancy of 76.99.

 

The highest life expectancy for females was Kensington and Chelsea with 86.34 and coming in top place for males was Hart with 83.74.

Wirral is amongst the 20% most deprived boroughs in England and life expectancy for both men and women is lower than the national average.

The figures for men's life expectancy in Wirral have fallen gradually over the years. In 2014/16 the age was 78.04, nearly one and a half years less than it is in the most recent data.

Alarmingly, Liverpool came fifth from bottom in the men's list, with an age of 78.04 and fourth from bottom in the women's list with 79.31.

What did Wirral Council say?

Cllr Janette Williamson, Chair of Wirral’s Adult Social Care and Public Health committee, said: “Latest figures show that life expectancy in England has fallen over recent years, partly as a result of the pandemic, and the rate of decline is worse in the most deprived areas. 

"Regrettably this pattern is evident in the latest figures for Wirral, particularly for men.

“Evidence has shown us time and again that health is inextricably linked to the conditions in which people are born, grow, live and work.

"Wirral is amongst the 20% most deprived boroughs in England and life expectancy for both men and women is lower than the national average. Evidence shows us that addressing the root causes of systemic deprivation, including income, employment, education, and housing, is crucial if we want to tackle health inequalities and bring about lasting, sustainable improvements in our borough’s health.

“In Wirral we take a system-wide approach to tackling the issues affecting our borough, and working with our health and care partners to improve outcomes for residents is key.

"Wirral’s Health and Wellbeing Board partnership is committed to improving the health of our local population and addressing the underlying causes of poor health, health inequalities and deprivation.  

“That said, there is practical support out there for our communities, to help people make positive lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, becoming more active and looking after your mental health – all things that can improve your wellbeing and help you to live longer. If you’re looking to make some changes, you can visit the Wirral Infobank, Wirral’s directory of health and wellbeing services.”

What can you do to help?

There are numerous services in Wirral to support individuals to address the factors that can lead to ill-health, and there is lots we can do as individuals to improve our health and wellbeing such as:

  • Quitting smoking with support from Wirral’s Stop Smoking provider ABL health.
  • Attending screenings or NHS Health Check appointments when called.
  • Taking up the offer of a free flu and Covid-19 vaccination if eligible. Check your eligibility via the NHS website.
  • Getting advice and support to manage finances and debt with Citizen’s Advice Wirral.
  • Cutting down on alcohol and/or addressing addictions with support from Wirral Ways.
  • Getting active in green spaces or utilising an Invigor8 health pass (if eligible).

For more on health and wellbeing in your community, visit Wirral Infobank.