Mancunians are living longer lives according to new figures released from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Historically, Manchester has had some of the poorest health outcomes in the country.
This is why the city developed pioneering approaches to address that inequality, such as the Making Manchester Fairer Programme (MMF), as well as other long-term investments around the conditions that improve people’s lives and life chances.
Now, the latest ONS figures (covering 2022-24) show that a boy born in Manchester can expect to live 75.6 years, compared with 75.1 years in 2021-2023.
And in addition, a baby girl born today would have a life expectancy of 80.1 years compared with a previous 79.1 years.
These new figures show a narrowing of the life-expectancy gap between Manchester and the rest of the country. Figures for women have improved with the gap reducing to 3.2 years for women (from 3.4 years during 2021-23), while the life expectancy gap for men remains unchanged at 3.9 years.
Coming out of the pandemic huge importance has been placed on improving people’s health and wellbeing no matter where they live, and, ending what can be a postcode lottery affecting how long a person can live.
As a result, the MMF programme was established by the Council in 2022 to tackle health inequality and build back a healthier and fairer society in the wake of the pandemic.
Since then, the Council has been working alongside local and national partners to address long-standing issues alongside tackling the cost-of-living crisis.
Vital to this has been putting local people at the heart of policy making through the establishment of community forums to help shape the services they need. This will allow residents to inform the Council on what their needs are, and how they can be addressed.
Additional work has been put into breaking down racial barriers to healthcare. Through the pandemic we learned that a person’s ethnic background can have a significant impact on their health and life expectancy. Through improved understanding the Council is working to improve outcomes amongst communities which historically, have faced greater health challenges compared to others.
And finally, deprivation and poverty are hugely significant when it comes to a person’s health. The cost-of-living crisis has laid bare the challenges that people face, and steps are being taken to address those inequalities.
The Council has put in place millions of pounds of additional support to prevent people from slipping into poverty. It has set up financial support services in healthcare settings and last year launched a dedicated cost of living advice line where residents can call for free support for a range of issues relating to the ongoing economic situation.
However, more can still be done which is why these figures can act as an incentive for the future.
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Across Manchester for too long too many people experience deep-rooted inequalities and poverty that literally limit their lives, with too many Mancunians experiencing poor health outcomes. We are determined to tackle these inequalities, and create a city where everyone can thrive, and live a long, happy and healthy life.
“We still have a long way to go, but this shows that focusing our efforts to tackle health inequalities and investment in our NHS and council wellbeing services can deliver results. And, as we continue to roll out our flagship Making Manchester Fairer programme, we want to reiterate that our work will not stop until everyone in our city shares its success and we end the gap between Manchester and elsewhere.”
Councillor Thomas Robinson, Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care, said: “It’s encouraging that we have seen a small increase in the life expectancy of our residents in Manchester. We know that the city has worse health outcomes when compared to other parts of the UK and we are determined to change that.
“The data tells us that we are on the right track, but that does not mean we will rest on our laurels. The wellbeing of all of our residents is incredibly important and I want to reiterate that this news will push us onwards to even better results.
“Through small steps made at a local level, and large policy changes at a city level, we want to ensure that everyone in Manchester, no matter their age, background or ethnicity can life a long and healthy life.”