A summary of health issues affecting the people of Havant

The People 120,521 people live in Havant and this will slightly decrease by 0.9% by 2004. 5.7% of Havant’s population is aged under five, and 17.7% aged 65 years or over.

During 1998, there were 1,368 births to Havant women. In 1998, the fertility rate was 61.9 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 compared with the district rate of 56.0 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44.

Perinatal Mortality The perinatal mortality rate is the number of stillbirths and deaths in the first week of life per 1,000 total births. Between 1996 and 1998, there was an average of nine perinatal deaths each year in Havant. The three year average perinatal mortality rate for these wards was 6.7 per 1,000 total births which was lower than that of Portsmouth and South East Hampshire (8.5 per 1,000 total births) (Fig 1).

Major causes of deaths There were 1,213 deaths to people in Havant in 1998: of these, 197 were to people aged under 65. Cancers (309), coronary heart disease (265), strokes (125), other cardiovascular diseases (124) and accidents (12) were the principal causes of deaths to Havant residents (Fig 2).

Lifestyle preferences Higher percentages of residents of Havant took no physical activity, were obese, drank alcohol above sensible limits or smoked compared with residents in the district. (Fig 3)

Access to preventive services Preventive services include cancer screening and immunisation programmes. Data for is unavailable at local authority level but the uptake rate of the cervical screening programme for East Hampshire Primary Care Group ((PCG), of which Havant is part) is 87% compared with the district uptake rate of 85%. In 1998/99 East Hampshire PCG had a high percentage of inadequate smears (9.8%) and also of smears not taken from the transformation zone (18.9%). Between 1995 and 1998, East Hampshire PCG’s breast screening uptake was 77.5%. The average practice childhood immunisation uptake rates in 1998 ranged from 90.9% to 100%; the average practice pre-school booster uptake rates ranged from 84.2% to 100%. There is evidence that the infant immunisation uptake rates across the district (and nationally) have fallen following adverse publicity.

Hospital utilisation The hospital episode rates per 100,000 age specific populations for Havant residents are compared with those of Portsmouth and South East Hampshire. Residents of this local authority had higher episode rates for total hospital episodes, emergency episodes, episodes for people aged 75 and over and mental health episodes. However, episodes for children under five were lower than the district rate. (Fig 4)

Access to selected operations The NHS Executive has chosen a number of operations as indicators of the success of health authorities in securing clinically effective and appropriate services for their population. Effective operations include coronary artery bypass grafts and coronary angioplasties (CABGs and PTCAs), cataracts and hip and knee replacements. Ineffective operations include dilatation and curettage for menorrhagia, surgical interventions for glue ear (grommets), extraction of asymptomatic wisdom teeth and varicose vein surgery. Operations with effective alternatives include hysterectomies and elective caesarian sections.

The Havant elective operation rate per 100,000 age specific population for certain clinically effective operations is compared with the England rate (Table 1). Havant residents undergo higher rates of knee replacements and cataract surgery and lower rates of CABGs and PTCAs.

Residents of this local authority undergo higher rates for grommet surgery, wisdom teeth extraction and hysterectomies for women aged 15 to 49. They also undergo higher rates for elective caesarian sections, which has effective alternatives.

Havant residents also undergo lower rates of hip revisions, which are widely regarded as a marker for the quality of surgery.

Communicable Disease Between 1991 and 1998, Havant notifications for food poisoning increased from 58 to 245. Part of this increase is due to improved reporting. However, there is still evidence of under-reporting of notifiable diseases. Notifications for meningitis increased over this period. Conversely, notifications for most vaccine preventable diseases declined. (Fig 5)

Suggestions for health and other agencies working in Havant

• Continue to promote the economic development of the area so as to reduce social inequalities.
• Encourage people to stop smoking, eat a healthier diet, take regular exercise and reduce alcohol intake
• Encourage primary care teams and pathology departments to work together to improve smear taking techniques
• Work with the Health Authority to achieve a more equitable allocation of resources to PCGs – taking account of differences in health needs
• Work with hospital clinicians to review elective operation rates for CABGs and PTCAs, grommet surgery, extraction of asymptomatic wisdom teeth, hysterectomies to women aged 15 to 49 and elective caesarian sections
• Raise patient and practitioner awareness of the effectiveness or otherwise of certain elective operations
• Encourage GPs to notify all cases of notifiable diseases
• Continue to provide clear and consistent messages to all members of the primary care team and to the public about the effectiveness and safety of childhood vaccinations
• Raise public, patient and food business awareness of food poisoning and how it can be avoided
• Raise patients’ and parents’ awareness of the symptoms of meningitis

Produced by Public Health and Strategy Directorate, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority, Finchdean House, Milton Road, Portsmouth, PO3 6DP. August 1999.

Produced by Ann Edmeades, IT Services, Hampshire County Council
for Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority
© Copyright Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority 1998
Last Updated 1st September, 1999