NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board hears life expectancy in Stamford is higher than national average
Life expectancy for men and women in Stamford is statistically better than the average for England.
A report from NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board shows that the average life expectancy for women in Stamford Central, West, and South is 85.7 years, while in Stamford North, it is slightly lower at 83.9 years.
For men, the average is 83.3 years in Stamford Central, West, and South and 79.3 years in Stamford North. This is a notable improvement on the England average of 83.2 years for women and 79.5 years for men.
Healthy life expectancy is also above average, with it being 71 years for women in Stamford Central, West, and South and 66.7 years in Stamford North. For men, it is 68.9 years in Stamford Central, West, and South and 65.3 years in Stamford North.
This also marks an improvement on the England average of 64.8 years for women and 63.5 years for men.
Women in Stamford Central, West, and South live on average 7.8 years longer than those in Skegness Town, which is reportedly the most deprived area in Lincolnshire. Men live on average 11.8 years longer.
Women in Stamford North live on average six years longer than those in Skegness Town, and men live 7.8 years longer.
The report was produced as part of an engagement exercise to better understand local concerns about health issues, including housing growth and its impact on health and wellbeing services as the population grows. The exercise began on Monday, November 25, and closes on Friday, January 31.
In 2021, significant concerns were raised about general practice services in Stamford, alongside worries about projected population growth. At the time, NHS Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group agreed to engage with the public when the time was right.
With the recovery from Covid-19 and confirmation of housing growth, the ICB, acting as the successor NHS authority, now believes this is the right time to undertake the work.
Independent Councillor Richard Cleaver, who represents Stamford West on Lincolnshire County Council, explained that residents previously pushed for a strategic review of healthcare provision in a bid to resolve organisational issues facing the town.
He pointed out that Stamford has a "monopoly" GP provider and Stamford Hospital isn't run by Lincolnshire NHS, but by the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, meaning Lincolnshire has to commission services from it.
"We have an issue with all sorts of organisational matters, and that’s what we would like to see resolved," said Coun Cleaver.
He also highlighted that the town is set to "grow substantially" over the next decade, with 2,350 houses already with planning permission and waiting to be built. "We want the reassurance that’s being taken into consideration," he added.
The county council's health scrutiny committee was due to approve a final response to the engagement exercise during its meeting on Monday (January 29), but the item has been deferred until Wednesday, February 19.
Coun Cleaver said this has been done to ensure the work is done thoroughly.