Mancunians have the highest rate of preventable deaths per capita in England and Wales, MailOnline’s fascinating map shows.
Avoidable deaths are deaths classified by the UK statistics body as avoidable or treatable among people under the age of 75.
Examples include deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough or cancer cases, where a patient might have had a different outcome had they received care earlier.
Higher numbers are seen as a negative indication of the general health status of the population, but also as a sign that people are struggling to access timely healthcare.
Nationally, the number of deaths per 100,000 people, a figure that allows statisticians to compare results between different areas, was 238 deaths per 100,000 people in England, and 274 deaths per 100,000 in Wales.
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However, in some parts of the country, rates were well above the national average.
Analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which broke down the figures by NHS area, found that people in Manchester had the highest rate in the country.
Mancunians recorded 316 avoidable deaths per 100,000 people, the highest rate in both England and Wales and a third above the national average.
In real terms, this meant that 7,266 people in the Manchester region died from completely preventable or treatable health conditions.
Other areas in England with the highest rates were South Yorkshire with 299 deaths per 100,000 residents and the Black Country in the West Midlands with 292 such deaths. These represented 3,608 and 2,907 actual deaths respectively.
In contrast, people in Surrey recorded the lowest avoidable death rate in England, at just 172 deaths per 100,000. This represented 1,559 fatalities.
For Wales, the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in the south-eastern region of the country recorded the highest preventable death rate, at 315 fatalities per 100,000 people. This represented 1,728 effectively preventable deaths.
This was followed by the Swansea Bay University Health Board in south-west Wales and the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board in south Wales with 307 and 281 deaths per 100,000 people respectively.
The Swansea Bay University Health Board recorded 1,728 actual deaths, while the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board recorded 1,152.
Powys Teaching Health Board in East Wales recorded the lowest preventable death rate in the country: just 215 deaths per 100,000 population and 322 actual fatalities.
The overall higher avoidable death rate in Wales comes as other data from the Labour-run country shows one in 20 patients in the NHS wait a year for treatment, compared to just 0.5 per cent of those in England.
ONS data analyzing different preventable death rates by region does not break down fatalities by cause of death.
But national figures show that deaths from alcohol and drugs are increasing.
The number of fatalities due to substance abuse has risen to almost 13,000 in England and more than 800 in Wales by 2022.
Both figures represent significant increases compared to pre-pandemic figures, when the numbers stood at 10,511 and 667 respectively.
Experts have blamed binge drinking during the Covid pandemic and rising opiate abuse – including heroin and prescription drugs – for destroying the lives of Britons.
Commenting on the overall data, Veena Raleigh, senior fellow at think tank The King’s Fund, said it showed the state of accessible healthcare in Britain.
“This is both a damning indictment of the quality of our public health policies and healthcare services, and yet more evidence of the poor and deteriorating health status of the population,” she said.
‘With an NHS waiting list for treatments exceeding seven million, including more than 400,000 people waiting for potentially life-saving heart care, and long waiting times to see a GP, the forecast sees better public health in the short to medium term looks bleak. ‘
She also highlighted that many of the areas in England with the higher avoidable death rates were also areas where people were poorer, suggesting that inequality was killing some Britons before their time.
“This heavy burden of preventable ill health and death has devastating consequences for individuals, families, communities and the economy,” she said.
‘Preventing ill health and reducing premature deaths is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges of our time.’
Another worrying aspect of the overall ONS data on preventable deaths was that the number of child deaths in England was increasing.
In 2022, 1,248 such deaths among newborns to 19-year-olds were recorded, a rate of almost 10 per 100,000 inhabitants.
This is an increase from the previous two years, when the rate in 2021 and 2020 was around 9 and 8 deaths per 100,000 respectively.
However, analysis shows that rather than a rise, this is actually the country returning to post-pandemic norms.
Data breaking down these preventable deaths by cause shows that the number of children dying from injuries and illnesses during the lockdown years of 2020 and 2021 collapsed compared to historical norms.
This is suspected to be related to the lockdown disrupting usual activities and exposures that led to these avoidable deaths.
So while the 2022 figures are up compared to most recent years, this is at levels similar to pre-pandemic levels.
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Manchester recorded 316 avoidable deaths per 100,000 residents, the highest rate in both England and a third above the national average
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Deaths from substance abuse have continued to rise compared to before the pandemic, with 25.9 deaths per 100,000 in England in 2022, and 30.2 per 100,000 in Wales (stock image)