Deprivation

Merseyside is one of the most deprived areas of the country and although Wirral is often considered relatively less deprived than its neighbouring districts, there are marked differences in levels of deprivation and affluence across the Wirral peninsula.

In 2000, the Government produced a new indicator of deprivation, the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD2000). This combines: income; employment; health deprivation and disability; housing; education and skills training; and geographic access to services to produce an overall score and ranking for each ward - the higher the score, the greater the degree of deprivation (see figures 4 and 5).

Figure 5. Map showing IMD2000 deprivation scores across Wirral, by ward

Analysis of the relationship between deprivation and mortality across Wirral shows a strong link between the two (see figure 6). The most deprived wards (those with high IMD2000 scores) also tend to have higher SMRs for CHD. Since the CHD SMR is acknowledged to be a good indicator of need for CHD services, these results strongly suggest that individuals living in the most deprived wards are those who most require access to CHD services.

Figure 6. Chart demonstrating relationship between death rates from heart disease (SMRs, 1997-1999) and deprivation (IMD2000 scores)