Member Article

Manchester publishes health profile to guide policy

Details of health patterns for Manchester to guide how services will be commissioned have been published.

The results of this year’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for Manchester, were heard by the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The JSNA involves data from health and care providers, voluntary organisations and patient and public advisory groups across the city.

This material is used to help Manchester City Council and NHS partners to determine the range of services to be commissioned to improve health and address inequalities.

The year’s report includes new information on cancer, alcohol and liver disease, long term conditions, tuberculosis and dementia.

Manchester has the highest rate of premature mortality (people aged under 75) for cancer in England. In 2011-2012 health services in the city spent around £50,000,000 on cancer treatment and ongoing support, equivalent to £81 per resident.

An estimated 96,000 adults in the city (29 per cent) drink above recommended levels. In 2011-12 13,783 people were admitted to Manchester hospitals for alcohol-related conditions. This is a 150 per cent increase since 2002-2003. The cost of alcohol misuse in Manchester is estimated to be £280,000,000 a year.

Manchester has a higher than average rate of long-term conditions, such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart disease and the number of people with multiple long-term conditions is set to rise.

In 2011, 231 cases of TB were reported in Manchester. The number of new instances has risen over the last decade and the incident rate is currently three times the national average.

An estimated 4,000 people with dementia are registered with GP practices in Manchester. Around two-thirds (62 per cent) of people with dementia will have Alzheimer’s Disease (the most common form of dementia).

Cllr Paul Andrews, executive member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing at Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester’s health and care providers are resolute in working together to provide joined-up, integrated services for residents.

“We already know that Manchester, which has areas of high deprivation, has poor life expectancy in comparison to other parts of the country and we need to tackle this.

“Sharing statistics and information in the JSNA allows us to get a very full, detailed picture of what can be done to improve residents’ health and the factors that affect wellbeing.”

David Regan, Director of Public Health for Manchester, said: “The JSNA findings are all based on a spirit of openness and transparency so that service commissioners can make informed decisions - and also, vitally, so that residents can share in the process of looking after their health.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .