Shropshire a safe and healthy place to live¸ says report

Press release - 22 June 2007

Shropshire a safe and healthy place to live, says report

Shropshire residents are enjoying a healthy and safe lifestyle, and have a quality of life that is better than many other parts of the country, according to a report produced by the NHS.

The NHS Shropshire health profile 2007 details the health of people in the Shropshire County Council area, compared to England’s 386 other council areas.

It shows that life expectancy in Shropshire is above the national average (see note 1), that child poverty levels in the county are below average, and that in 2005/06, fewer than 3,000 incidents of violent crime were reported – half the rate for England overall.

It also reports that participation in physical activity in the county is higher than average, and that early death rates from cancer, heart disease and stroke have decreased in the last decade, with current rates lower than the national and regional averages.

The report shows that the number of people killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads is above the national average, with more than 200 people killed last year. However, this figure is falling and Shropshire County Council’s road safety team works to minimise the number of road users killed or injured each year.

Barbara Craig, Shropshire County Council’s Cabinet member for community services, said: “We welcome this report, which shows that Shropshire is a safe and healthy place to live and that residents enjoy a standard of life that compares favourably to many other parts of the country.

“The council’s vision is to improve significantly the quality of life for Shropshire people, and across the county we are providing a wide range of excellent services to people of all ages.

“We will continue to strive to improve people’s lives still further and to make Shropshire an even healthier and safer place to live, to work and to visit.”

Health profiles are funded by the Department on Health and produced annually by the the Association of Public Health Observatories. A profile has been produced for each of the 386 councils in England.

ENDS

Note

(1) In the period 2003-2005, life expectancy at birth for men in Shropshire was 77.6 (compared to a national average of 76.9). For women the figure is 81.8 (compared to 81.1).

For further information, call Jack Collier, Corporate Director – Community Services, on (01743) 253702.
For media contact, call Gareth Proffitt, Communications Officer, on (01743) 252828.