Government launches new health profiles for local authorities in England

The profiles use key health indicators to capture a picture of the nation’s health down to local level to help identify local priorities. It provides areas with valuable information to improve their population’s health. This year’s data also includes new information on child health inequalities.

Public health minister Dawn Primarolo said: “Inequalities around the country are stark, but the NHS and local authorities can use these profiles to target local health hotspots with effective measures to make a real difference.” She also said that the Government had renewed their commitment to tackle these issues with the Health Inequalities: Progress and Next Steps report. The report found that obesity amongst reception year children averaged just under 10 per cent with lowest rate in Teesdale at five per cent and the highest in Hackney at 16 per cent.

These profiles are intended to give the NHS, local authorities and other partners an insight into the health of their residents, to enable resources and initiatives to be better targeted