Wolverhampton and Sandwell among country's worst place for early deaths

A new study has revealed that Wolverhampton and Sandwell are ranked towards the bottom for so-called early deaths, classed as those before the age of 75.

Sandwell was rated 136th of England's 150 local authorities – with Wolverhampton also performing badly, ranking 125th.

The figures were not much better in Walsall, which was rated 111th.

Dudley just scraped into the top half, rated at 74, while, locally, Staffordshire had the best figure coming in at 55th.

There is a clear north/south divide in the statistics with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt describing it as a 'shocking variation'.

Professor John Newton, chief knowledge officer at Public Health England, PHE, said it was 'urgent' that something was done about the 'health inequalities' in England. "The message for local authorities is that there are a large number of people dying before they should and that there are things that can be done," he said.

There are 103,000 avoidable early deaths in England each year, according to Public Health England, with the four major killers identified being responsible for 75 per cent of those deaths.

That places it as seventh out of 17 European countries for men and 15th for women – a figure that 'must improve', Professor Newton added. Recent figures show the situation is improving however, with overall premature death rates coming down, he added.

Prof Newton said: "What we are doing is providing information that is hard-hitting and sometimes challenging but is presented in a form that is accessible and easy to understand."

Longer Lives, which launches today, groups areas with similar levels of deprivation so that local authorities can see how they are doing compared with others of a similar socio-economic status.

The peer ranking shows that Rotherham and Redcar and Cleveland are doing well among the most deprived areas, while Bracknell and Central Bedfordshire have some of the highest rates of early death in the least deprived areas.

Professor Kevin Fenton, of PHE said he hoped the site would spark a 'national debate' on tackling premature deaths – rather than worry those living in areas given a red traffic light rating.

"We hope that it will be a good thing – with greater public engagement in health, and the health of their local authority," he added. Under the NHS reforms, local councils have been given new responsibilities to enhance public health in their areas.

Premature deaths per 100,000 people

Stafffordshire: 252.4 – 55th

Dudley: 273.8 – 74th

Walsall: 308.6 – 111th

Birmingham: 320.5 –120th

Wolverhampton: 323.2 –125th

Sandwell: 346.3 – 136th