Of the 32 indicators used to measure Child Health by Public Health England Liverpool is significantly worse than the national average in no less than 20 of them according to a report issued today by Public Health England.
“This should serve as a wake up call to everyone in Liverpool from the Council and Health Service through to parents and communities”, help according to the Liverpool Lib Dem Leader Cllr Richard Kemp. “In particular some key health indicators such as childhood obesity, cure teenage conceptions and hospital admissions due to alcohol and drugs misuse are disturbingly high.
Some of these indicators are clearly due to poverty but others are not. We can see some improvements in some indicators such as teenage conception but for too many our programmes seem to be having little impact.
Successive studies have shown that unless we can arrest these figures our young people will lead shorter and unhealthier lives than they need to. Not only does this ruin lives but it also costs the Health Service a fortune in increased health care.”