Guildford health standards receives glowing review by Department of Health

A new report from the Department of Health states that the health of people in Guildford is pretty good on the whole.

Deprivation is a lot lower than average with just over 60% of residents being classified as among the least deprived and life expectancy for both men and women are higher than the national average. Early death rates from cancer and from heart disease and stroke have also fallen and over the last decade all cause mortality rates have fallen.

However, the number of physically active children is worse than the national average. About 14% of Year 6 children are classified as obese whilst a lower than average percentile of pupils spend at least three hours a week on school sport. The figures aren't quite good for non-school pupils either – 21% of adults are classified as obese.

It was also revealed that the rate of road injuries and deaths in Guildford was higher than the national average.

"We are working with local communities to assess their needs and see how we can support them in leading healthy lives," said Dr Michael Baker from NHS Surrey. "The results will allow us to work with our partners to help improve the health of residents and strive to avoid expensive medical treatment in years to come. "

The report is available to download from the Public Health Observatories (PDF file).

What do you make of the report? What more can be done in the town to improve the health standards of residents? Let us know your thoughts with a comment.