DUDLEY is a borough of older people who are much better off than their Black Country neighbours and live a year or two longer than them.

Perhaps that’s why we are marginally ‘happier,’ if you count happiness on the measure of levels of depression.

But we are also among the fattest and not terribly keen on exercise; the most likely to be living with a long-term health condition; and we have the highest chance of dying from cancer.

The comparative health of the borough is revealed in analysis carried out by the four groups who organize and buy-in health services across the five areas of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, West Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

The area covers 1.5 million people, with Dudley accounting for around 320,000.

The Clinical Commission Groups responsible for the area are planning to merge their services and as part of that have compiled a health check list of the five areas where you can compare local health measures against all the others.

In most cases the differences are relatively small.

As an example, Dudley is tops for longevity. Men on average live to 79 and women 83. That’s a year or two better than anywhere else in the region.

But by far the biggest difference is in deprivation levels. Dudley has just over a quarter of its people (27%) living in the most deprived area. There’s a huge gap with the next best (48%) in Walsall and Wolverhampton, and an absolute chasm with West Birmingham (60%).

Other Dudley figures show:

  • 14 people in every 100 has depression;
  • 29% die of cancer;
  • a quarter die from heart disease;
  • 56% have a long term health issue;
  • only 1 in 5 exercise for 30 minutes a week or more;
  • 56% are overweight.

The regional health chart can be seen in the consultation document for the merger of the CCGs. You can find it here; https://wolverhamptonccg.nhs.uk/publications/listening-to-patients/2735-future-arrangements-for-nhs-commissioning-across-the-black-country-and-west-birmingham/file