Time to tackle serious health issues in UK's coastal towns: Chris Whitty

SERIOUS health challenges exist in Britain’s coastal towns- such as Blackpool, Hartlepool and Hull- which must be tackled soon by the government or they only “will get worse”, England’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Chris Whitty has claimed in a recent report. He has recommended a cross-government strategy, greater coastal deployment of healthcare staff and improved data collection to tackle the problem.

As per Whitty’s report published on Wednesday (21), coastal communities in England have a high burden of health challenges across a range of physical and mental health conditions, along with lower life expectancy and higher rates of many major diseases.

These areas have about 31 per cent of over-65s retired people, as per the report, which adds to the burden of the NHS. Additionally, attracting health care staff in the country’s peripheral coast areas is a major issue.

Whitty’s report slashes the assumption that England’s most popular holiday destinations, including Blackpool, Hastings, Skegness, Clacton and Torbay, are healthier than their inland counterparts due to the physical and mental health benefits to living near the coast, along with access to outdoor spaces for exercise, social contact and lower air pollution.

Smoking and drinking are also reportedly higher in coastal communities such as Hartlepool and Blackpool that also have the highest rate of hospital admissions for alcohol-related harm in England.

The report also highlights poor mental health in coastal places. Clacton, in Essex, reported the second-highest mental health need in the country, while in Morecambe Bay, patients were 20 per cent more likely to have depression than the national average, stated media reports. Rates of self-harm among 10-to 24-year-olds were also higher in coastal communities compared with those further inland.

Claiming that coastal places in the country have “low life expectancy and high rates of many major diseases”, Whitty said in the report that these communities have often been "overlooked by governments and the ill-health hidden because their outcomes are merged with wealthier inland areas". 

"A national strategy informed by local leaders and experts will help reduce inequalities and preventable ill health," Whitty said.

"If we do not tackle the health problems of coastal communities vigorously and systematically there will be a long tail of preventable ill-health which will get worse as current populations age."

Welcoming the report, health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said that those living in coastal areas clearly face different sets of challenges. 

"I welcome this report from Professor Chris Whitty, which raises important points on inequalities that we must tackle to improve the health of coastal communities - and I will carefully consider these recommendations," Javid said.