Deprived areas of UK ‘record higher numbers of preventable deaths’

Avoidable deaths have been found to be more likely in poorer parts of the country in a new report.

Data from the Office for National Statistics have shown there were nearly 16,700 deaths from avoidable causes in the most deprived areas of England and Wales in 2015, compared with some 7,200 in the least deprived ones.

Men and women in the most deprived areas were respectively shown to be almost five and eight times more likely to die from avoidable causes compared with those in the richest areas, with the largest relative inequality being for respiratory diseases.

A higher rate of smoking was considered to be the the most likely contributory factor to these differences, but the British Medical Association (BMA) has also raised concerns that care quality issues in poorer areas may also be contributing to this difference.

Professor Dame Parveen Kumar, board of science chair at the BMA, said: "Access to good healthcare and education around preventable illnesses should not be determined by socioeconomic background, yet those living in the most deprived areas are still more likely to die from an avoidable disease."

She added that the government must invest in measures to tackle poverty and increase the provision of public health services in deprived areas, including smoking cessation services.

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