Liverpool’s priorities and challenges
In a year that has celebrated Liverpool’s cultural heritage…
…we have also been acutely aware that Liverpool is a city that faces many challenges, all of which have an impact on health and wellbeing.
Multiple factors have a serious consequence when considering the health of our people. The knock-on impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The difficulties with accessing NHS services. Higher rates of deprivation and poverty. Increasing constraints on the Council’s budgets.
It is important that, as a public health team, we are aware of these challenges and think of innovative and creative ways of tackling them, so that we can support and empower our residents to enjoy good health.
In this section, we will take a look at the health of our residents, our funding challenges and the impact of inequalities, poverty and deprivation in the city.
Life course statistics: Liverpool 2023
A comparison between Liverpool and England.
Liverpool facts
496,770 people were living in Liverpool in 2022.
Around 63%of the population live in the top 20% most deprived areas in England.
3 in every 10 children under 16 live in poverty.
Women can expect to live to 79.9 years and men to 76.1 years
On average, men will spend 23% of their lives in poor health and women will spend 28% in poor health.
Key
Liverpool’s statistical significance compared to England:
- Better
- Similar
- Worse
Significant trend:
- Improving
- No change
- Getting worse
Starting well

Life expectancy at birth
Worse

Infant mortality
Similar

Premature births
Worse

Smoking at time of delivery
Similar
Improving

Low birth weight (term babies)
Similar

Babies first feed breast milk
Worse

MMR one dose (age 2)
Worse
Getting worse

Dental decay (age 5)
Worse

School readiness
Worse
No change

Admissions for injuries (age 5 or less)
Worse

Obese children (age 10-11)
Worse
No change

Children in care
Worse
Living well

Physically active adults
Worse

Consuming '5-a-day'
Worse

Obese adults
Similar

Smoking prevalence
Worse

Alcohol specific admissions
Worse

Depression prevalence
Worse
Getting worse

Self harm admissions
Worse

Chlamydia detection
Better
No change

NHS Health Check uptake
Worse
No change

Cancer screening
Worse

Antibiotic prescribing
Better
Ageing well

Loneliness
Worse

Dementia diagnosis
Worse
No change

Falls injuries 65+
Worse

Drug misuse deaths
Worse

Still at home 90 days after hospital discharge
Better
No change

Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at 65+
Worse
Wider determinants

Average income
Worse

Unemployment
Worse

Attainment 8 score
Worse

Healthy neighbourhoods
Worse

Domestic abuse
Similar

Air quality
Worse

Violent crime
Worse
Getting worse

Rented accommodation
Worse
Sources
Average (Median) Income is extracted from CACI England average = £33,820 and Liverpool average = £23,476.
Other sources include NOMIS, English Housing Survey and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Public Health Profiles: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk. © Crown copyright 2023.
Contact: Sophie.Kelly@liverpool.gov.uk
Public Health spending
Revenue expenditure and financing for the financial year 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

£13.3m Substance use

£12m Other Public Health services including: Health Improvement, Prevention Services, Dental Health, Behavioural Insight, Community Champions, Communications and Campaigns

£11.4m 0-19 services

£7.2m Sexual health

£1.5m Public Health advice

£1.1m Obesity

£882K Smoking and tobacco

£388k Health protection

£240k NHS health checks

£227K Health at work

£197K Physical activity

£111K Mental Health

£14K National Child Measurement Programme
Infographic summary
The data from this infographic is from the National Statistics release “Local authority revenue expenditure and financing England: 2022-23 Budget” which was published on 21 July 2022.