Organisations in Plymouth are seeking to tackle health inequalities to build on a decade of progress.

The Thrive Plymouth plan was created in 2014 to help improve health outcomes for residents.

Statistics showed that more than half of all deaths in Plymouth could be attributed to four lifestyle behaviours. Poor diet, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, and excess alcohol consumption contributed to four diseases (coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer and respiratory disease) that were responsible for 54 per cent of deaths in Plymouth.

Since 2014, health outcomes have improved, including a reduction in deaths from the four diseases, from 57.4 per 10,000 deaths in 2011 to 2013 to 49.2 in 2020 to 2022.

Healthy life expectancy has also increased for both men and women in Plymouth. Men's average healthy life expectancy has increased from 59.2 years to 64.3 years and from 58.7 years to 59.3 years for women.

However, the healthy life expectancy for women remains below the national average of 63.9 years, demonstrating that there is still work to be done.

There are also still stark geographical differences in Plymouth, with a gap of 8.2 years in the life expectancy from the most to the least deprived areas.

While some health behaviours have improved, such as a reduction in the number of people who smoke, mental health indicators have worsened over time and there are still high levels of physical inactivity and obesity.

Ruth Harrell, Plymouth’s director for public health, said, “I’m incredibly proud of the work that’s been done in Plymouth over the last 10 years, but it’s clear there is still more to be done. Many things have changed in that time and there have been huge events that have impacted us all, including the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

“We have taken time to reflect on the work done, but also to learn from new methods and research, which has informed our plan for the next 10 years. This is a long-term, partnership approach to tackling inequalities to ensure that we can affect meaningful change that results in a healthier, happier life for Plymouth residents.”

A collaborative network

Over the last 10 years, Thrive Plymouth has brought together a collaborative network of around 100 different organisations from health, wellbeing and the voluntary and community sectors.

Plymouth City Council’s Public Health team has set out a plan for the next decade which will ensure the continuation of the network of partners, with a focus on four key themes:

  • Healthy body
  • Healthy mind
  • Healthy places
  • Healthy communities

This goes beyond the original Thrive plan to better reflect the core factors that impact people’s physical and mental health, such as where they live and their social connections.

Mary Aspinall, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said, “We’re committed to making Plymouth a great place to live where everyone enjoys a high quality of life. Despite a decade of hard work, there are still stark inequalities across the city. We don’t want your life choices to be limited by your postcode, and the work being done by partner organisations and by the council will mean improved outcomes for everyone.”

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