Key Health Indicators

Introduction

The aim of this indicator package is to bring together information on health and factors affecting health in the East Midlands in one easily accessible place. It can be regarded as a dynamic supplement to the East Midlands Health Profile. EMPHO’s intention is to update the package as relevant new information becomes available.

In most cases, data are presented at Regional, Local Authority, Strategic Health Authority and Primary Care Trust levels giving a picture, albeit at a fairly high geographical level, of variations in health across the East Midlands. There are much larger variations in health between smaller geographical areas within the region and between different sub-groups of the population. However, these are outside the scope of this document.

While the main focus is on comparisons between areas there is also trend information for some indicators where available.

The Key Health Indicators theme is split into three sections:

• Population
• Determinants of health
• Health Indicators

Notes

1. Much of the information in this package is from Government Departments. HMSO “Click-Use” licences allow the licensee to re-use the majority of 'core' government information that is subject to Crown copyright protection. Licences are free of charge and valid for five years. See HMSO's website for further information and guidance on the electronic application process.

2. In line with Government policy on “disclosure” (preventing information about an individual being identifiable in official statistics) the information in this package has been screened so that figures based on counts of less than five have been suppressed (shown as a "-").

3. Population “anomalies” in the Compendium 2002 data. The Enhanced Compendium released in January 2004 highlights population “anomalies” in some PCTs. In the East Midlands only two PCTs are significantly affected by this problem (i.e. where the difference between two methods of population estimation used in the Compendium is greater than 5%). These are:

• Greater Derby PCT
• Central Derby PCT

More information on this can be found on the NCHOD Knowledge base in the Compendium 2002 letter (Enhanced version) and in their Update 10/2003 which also contains a spreadsheet comparing populations calculated by both methods for all PCTs.

Errata

Compendium errors for Northamptonshire PCTs

The Compendium 2002 made use of definitions for Daventry and South Northamptonshire PCT and for Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT which were erroneous. Compendium 2002 data for Daventry and South Northamptonshire PCT includes some wards which properly constitute part of Cherwell Vale PCT. Similarly Compendium 2002 data for Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT includes some wards which actually form part of South Peterborough PCT. The error is compounded by the fact that in calculating rates the population base that was used makes use of a different definition for these PCTs.

This problem affects only the PCT-level data presented here where the source is the Compendium 2002. Only the two Northamptonshire PCTs mentioned above are affected.

NCHOD have informed us that the Compendium 2002 indicators will not be revised, and that the major effort will be employed in producing an accurate Compendium 2003 release.

Census errors for West Lincolnshire PCT

Census 2001 erroneously included several Output Areas within West Lincolnshire PCT. This results in a population overcount for West Lincolnshire PCT whereby West Lincolnshire has some 4,400 more households and 10,800 more people out of a total of 96,092 households and 229,596 people which should have been assigned to other PCTs not in East Midlands. This is the only PCT affected. LA counts are not affected. ONS indicate that a correction will be released in 2004. For details of the Output Areas involved see http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/ks_ha_corrections.asp

All data in this Key Health Indicators package which are derived from Census 2001 will therefore reflect a population for West Lincolnshire PCT which is about 4% too high.