Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICS

We serve a population of 806,000 people, with a mix of urban and rurally dispersed communities across two of the largest counties in England.

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We serve a population of 806,000 people, with a mix of urban and rurally dispersed communities across two of the largest counties in England, covering 1,500 square miles. We have the smallest population in the West Midlands, with our communities being spread sparsely across this large area. We also provide hospital services to 40,000 people from mid Wales.

The rural nature of much of our system creates challenges for some of our citizens around travel and access to services. There is a good road infrastructure across much of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, but the distance between our two main acute hospitals is more than 30 miles and typically takes more than an hour to drive on single carriageway roads. There are no direct bus or train services from Redditch to Worcester or Hereford, and many villages in the most rural areas do not have the use of a daily bus service.

Some of our more rural areas also suffer from a lack of social mobility, with low wages and a shortage of good job opportunities.

We have a relatively high and growing proportion of people aged 65 and over compared with England and Wales. By 2026, the number of people aged 65 and over is projected to increase to more than one in four of the total population (25.9 per cent). This is broadly across all of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, although the largely urban areas of Worcester and Redditch are predicted to have relatively more people of working age and fewer of pensionable age.

Our partners
Our local challenges

Although not disadvantaged to the same extent as some other parts of England, there are some areas of Herefordshire and Worcestershire where deprivation does affect life expectancy.
In Worcestershire, men in more deprived areas have a life expectancy 7.5 years less than those in less deprived areas. For women, the gap is 5.1 years. In Herefordshire, it is 6.3 years for men and four for women.
Those living in the most deprived parts of Herefordshire are more at risk from some of the major health issues than their counterparts in more prosperous parts of the county. They are 1.25 times more likely to die early from cancer, 1.3 times more likely to die of heart disease or stroke, and twice as likely to die of respiratory disease. Smoking, levels of alcohol use, obesity and a lack of physical activity are among the causes of disease.
Worcestershire residents fare badly against the national average in a number of areas. The rate of Infant deaths in Worcestershire, for example, is 5.1 per 1,000 live births, compared with 3.9% in England. At 16.3%, the county also sees more cases of high blood pressure than the national level of 13.9%. Other issues in the county with a higher incidence than nationally are neonatal deaths, breast cancer, male suicides and strokes in women.
Our research strategy

All three of the provider trusts across Herefordshire and Worcestershire are prioritising increasing participation in clinical research. They will do this through collaborating with system partners and embedding a culture of innovation and research through effectively engaging and communicating with our communities and staff.
There is a desire to work closely with finance, consider the best use of resources and maximise on digital technologies to deliver research more sustainably.
More information

You can read more about the work of Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care System by visiting our website.

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