Suffolk residents

To understand health and health care needs of a population we must have knowledge of its characteristics and size.

A characteristic is defined as a feature or quality belonging typically to a person. This may also be called a ‘demographic’. Common demographics within a population include classification by age, sex, or ethnicity.

Different demographics will have different health and service needs. For example, a population of people aged 65 years and over will experience different health needs compared to an area with a working-aged (16-64 years) demographic.

The size of each demographic will impact the management and monitoring of health care and services. For example, Suffolk has a higher proportion of its population aged 65 years and over compared to the England average. Therefore, Suffolk will have a larger demand for healthcare and services supporting individuals 65 years and over.

Population data should also be used to improve access to services and to reduce inequalities. The Equality Act (2010) protects people from unfair treatment based on the following protected characteristics:

• age
• gender reassignment
• race
• sex
• sexual orientation
• religion or belief
• disability
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are legally required to reduce inequalities in access to and outcomes of services. Therefore, organisations need to know about our communities and their needs to meet this demand.

NHS England ‘inclusion health’ lists groups who are socially excluded and often experience poor health outcomes. These populations include:

• people who experience homelessness
• people who experience drug and alcohol dependence
• vulnerable migrants
• Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities
• sex workers
• people in contact with the justice system and victims of modern slavery.

New and updated policies and key decisions about services should take into consideration the specific needs of the nine protected characteristic groups, identified within the Equality Act. Additional protected characteristics have been identified by specific local authorities where needed. For example, East Suffolk have introduced socio-economic disadvantage as a 10^th protected characteristic which will include the pockets of deprivation that exist, particularly in their rural communities.

The health needs of people in Suffolk will be different as the number and ages of residents change.

New technology, better healthcare, alongside improvements in nutrition, hygiene, housing, sanitation, control of infectious diseases and other public health measures all mean that people are living longer. 

Whilst life expectancy has improved, there is still a gap between 'healthy life expectancy' (the number of years a person can expect to live in 'good health') and overall life expectancy. 

These factors mean that people are living more years with chronic disease and disabilities, and in declining health. This leads to more people needing support from health and social care services for a longer time period. 

As the numbers and ages of residents change, the kinds of care and services people need will change too. Forward planning and preventative care strategies will be key to addressing this demographic shift.

The Global Burden of Disease (GBD)  provides comprehensive, detailed data on mortality, morbidity, and risk factors for hundreds of diseases globally. It is used as a tool to quantify health loss from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors, supporting the improvement of health systems and reductions in disparities.