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Mortality target monitoring (life expectancy and all-age all-cause mortality, overall and inequalities): update to include data for 2008

  • Document type:
    Statistics
  • Author:
    Department of Health
  • Published date:
    5 November 2009
  • Publication format:
    A4 electronic only
  • Gateway reference:
    Not required
  • Pages:
    17
  • Copyright holder:
    Crown
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The latest annual update on life expectancy data and all age all cause mortality rates, with data updated to 2006-08, which are used to monitor progress against Department of Health targets for overall life expectancy in England, and for the gap in life expectancy between the areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators (the Spearhead group) and the England average, was released on 5th November 2009 according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

The key points from the latest release are:

  • The overall life expectancy and all age all cause mortality (AAACM) trends for both males and females are broadly on course to deliver the target of 78.6 years for men and 82.5 years for women by 2010 (2009-11).
  • In 2006-08, life expectancy at birth in England continued to increase for both males and females, and reached its highest level on record at 77.7 years for males and 81.9 years for females.
  • Three-year average AAACM rates for England have fallen in each period since 1995-97.
  • In 2006-08, average life expectancy at birth in the Spearhead Group was 75.8 years for males and 80.4 years for females, having increased in each period since 1995-97.
  • However, England average life expectancy at birth has increased more quickly over this period, and, in 2006-08, the relative gap – i.e. percentage difference - in life expectancy at birth between England and the Spearhead Group was wider than at the baseline for the target (1995-97) for both males and females.
  • For males the relative gap was 7% wider than at the baseline (compared with 4% wider in 2005-07), for females 14% wider (compared with 11% wider in 2005-07).  Therefore, the target to narrow the life expectancy gap between the Spearhead Group and the England average, by at least 10% by 2010, remains challenging. 
  • Three-year average AAACM rates for the Spearhead Group have fallen in each period since 1995-97 for both males and females.

Notes:

The PSA targets are:

  • To increase the average life expectancy at birth in England to 78.6 years for men and to 82.5 years for women by 2010. 
  • To reduce the relative gap – i.e. percentage difference - in life expectancy at birth between the areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators (the Spearhead Group) and the England average by at least 10% by 2010 (from a baseline of 1995-97).

These targets were set in the Department of Health Public Service Agreement (PSA) published as part of the Government Spending Review 2004. All age all cause mortality rates are used as a proxy measure for life expectancy, and are monitored as part of the PSA Delivery Agreement 18, published in 2007.

The Spearhead Group consists of the 70 local authority (single-tier and district council) areas (based on boundaries prior to the 1 April 2009 local government reorganisation), which overlap with 62 primary care trusts, that are in the bottom fifth nationally for 3 or more of the following 5 factors:

  • Male life expectancy at birth;
  • Female life expectancy at birth;
  • Cancer mortality rate in under 75s;
  • Cardiovascular disease mortality rate in under 75s; and
  • Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 (Local Authority Summary), average score.
    (For life expectancy, the ‘bottom’ fifth means those with the lowest figures; for mortality rates and deprivation scores, it means those with the highest figures).

The Spearhead Group was defined in 2004 for use with associated Spending Review 2004 Public Service Agreement targets. Life expectancy and mortality rates were assessed against their positions in 1995-97 (the baseline period for the Public Service Agreement inequalities targets that are based on the Spearhead Group), while the 2004 version of the Index of Multiple Deprivation was used.

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