The following National Statistics were released today by the Department of Health:

Life Expectancy and All Age All Cause Mortality Monitoring (Overall and Health Inequalities) - Update to include data for 2007 The main points are:

- The overall life expectancy and all age all cause mortality (AAACM) trends for both males and females are broadly on course to deliver the PSA life expectancy target of 78.6 years for men and 82.5 years for women by 2010 (2009-11).

- In 2005-07, life expectancy at birth in England continued to increase for both males and females, and reached its highest level on record at 77.5 years for males and 81.7 years for females.

- Three-year average AAACM rates for England have fallen in each period since 1995-97.

- In 2005-07, average life expectancy at birth in the Spearhead Group was 75.6 years for males and 80.2 years for females, having increased in each period since 1995-97.

- However, England average life expectancy at birth has increased more quickly over this period, and, in 2005-07, the relative gap - i.e. percentage difference - in life expectancy at birth between England and the Spearhead Group was wider than at the baseline for the target (1995-97) for both males and females.

- For males the relative gap was 4% wider than at the baseline (compared with 2% wider in 2004-06), for females 11% wider (the same as in 2004-06). Therefore, the target to narrow the life expectancy gap between the Spearhead Group and the England average, by at least 10% by 2010, remains challenging.

- Three-year average AAACM rates for the Spearhead Group have fallen in each period since 1995-97 for both males and females.

More detail can be found in the bulletin available at the link.

The PSA targets are:

To increase the average life expectancy at birth in England to 78.6 years for men and to 82.5 years for women by 2010.

To reduce the relative gap - i.e. percentage difference - in life expectancy at birth between the areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators (the Spearhead Group) and the England average by at least 10% by 2010 (from a baseline of 1995-97).

These targets were set in the Department of Health Public Service Agreement (PSA) published as part of the Government Spending Review 2004. The inequality dimension of these targets is monitored by comparing the progress of England as a whole with equivalent progress of the "Spearhead Group" of health deprived areas.

Identification of the 'Spearhead Group'

The Spearhead Group consists of the 70 Local Authority (single-tier and district council) areas (which following the NHS reconfiguration, overlap with 62 Primary Care Trusts) that are in the bottom fifth nationally for 3 or more of the following 5 factors:

- Male life expectancy at birth;

- Female life expectancy at birth;

- Cancer mortality rate in under 75s;

- Cardiovascular disease mortality rate in under 75s; and

- Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 (Local Authority Summary), average score.

(For life expectancy, the 'bottom' fifth means those with the lowest figures; for mortality rates and deprivation scores, it means those with the highest figures).

The Spearhead Group was defined in 2004 for use with associated Spending Review 2004 Public Service Agreement targets. Life expectancy and mortality rates were assessed against their positions in 1995-97 (the baseline period for the Public Service Agreement inequalities target that are based on the Spearhead Group), while the 2004 version of the Index of Deprivation was used.

All Age All Cause mortality rates are used as a proxy measure for life expectancy, and are monitored as part of the PSA Delivery Agreement 18, published in 2007.

Department of Health , UK