Life Expectancy: Sandwell
(asked on 3rd March 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, after factoring in the national decline in healthy life expectancy referenced in the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115639, for what reason Sandwell has seen a further decline in HLE for men and women since 2020.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased mortality during 2020, 2021, and 2022, and explains the national decline observed in healthy life expectancy (HLE) since 2020. Some negative impact remains in the latest reporting period, from 2022 to 2024. Further information is available at the following link:
HLE at birth for Sandwell stood at 51.3 years for females and 52.7 years for males for the latest period 2022 to 2024. This compares to 61.3 and 60.9 years for females and males respectively, for England.
HLE is a broad summary measure of population health, combining mortality rates and self-reported health, at various ages. This can make it difficult to interpret the reasons behind the changes observed, especially as HLE is known to be influenced by a wide range of social, economic, environmental, and behavioural factors.
The Government recognises that health inequalities can widen if access and quality of healthcare are worse where need is greatest. Therefore, over the course of our 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre in every community, transforming healthcare access by bringing historically hospital-based services into communities and addressing wider determinants of health through services like debt advice, employment support, and obesity management programmes.
Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.