More than one in 20 Blackburn with Darwen residents said they were in poor health when asked in the 2021 census, new figures show.

Office for National Statistics figures show 7.8 per cent of residents in Blackburn with Darwen said they were in "bad or very bad" general health in the 2021 census.

Nationally, 5.4 per cent of people responded to the census saying they were in bad or very bad health.

This rose to 6.4 per cent in the North West.

There were also regional disparities in the number of unpaid carers across the country, the figures show.

In Blackburn with Darwen, 5.9 per cent of the population said they provided high levels of unpaid care and 10.5 per cent of Blackburn with Darwen residents were classed as disabled in 2021.

Abdul Razaq, Blackburn with Darwen’s Director of Public Health, said: “Work is ongoing to understand the 2021 Census data as it is released, to ensure that we are responding to the current health challenges.

“The Census 2021 data highlights some significant and ongoing health and care challenges of our residents.

“However, the Census 2021 data also suggests that since the 2011 Census our rates of residents reported that they are in ‘good’ or ‘very good’ health are increasing, whilst our rates of disability and numbers of unpaid carers working 50+ hours a week are decreasing.

“We are working closely with our local partners to deliver impactful preventative services to best meet the needs of our residents.”

Cllr Damian Talbot, Executive Member for Public Health, Prevention and Wellbeing said: “We are committed to supporting all Blackburn with Darwen residents, no matter who they are, to live a full life with opportunities to make the most of what the borough has to offer.

"This is a key focus of our new corporate plan, which sets out how we will tackle addressing health inequalities that were highlighted starkly during the COVID pandemic.  

“We are continuing to build on our strong partnership links, as working together with others is also vital to addressing health inequalities. Working with partners such as the NHS, we will ensure a joined-up approach to tackling the causes of ill-health and supporting people to live as independently as possible. We are also working within the new health and care structures to fight for the resources we need in our borough. When I became Chair of the Blackburn with Darwen Health and Wellbeing Board in 2022 I made this one of my priorities.

“We can also address some of the borough’s health challenges through our growth programme by making the borough more prosperous and introducing more better quality housing.”

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council said they recognise that 7.8 per cent of Blackburn with Darwen residents reported their health to be either ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’ as part of the 2021 Census. 

However, since the previous Census in 2011 this group of residents has reduced from 8.9 per cent to 7.8 per cent of the population.

During this time the number of residents reporting their health as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ also increased from 74.1 per cent to 77.1 per cent.

This is higher than the rate of increase seen nationally.

The council also said the proportion of unpaid carers in the borough at the time of the 2021 Census is similar to the North West figure.   

Although the borough has higher rates of residents delivering more than 20 hours of unpaid care per week, the proportion of residents delivering more than 50 hours of unpaid care has decreased since 2011.

The council also said from 2011 to 2021, the borough has seen a significant decrease the proportion of the population who are considered disabled, and this decrease has occurred at a greater level than regional and national rates. 

However, the council said it is worth noting that the way in which disability is categorised was changed for the 2021 Census and this may have affected these figures. 

By the ONS ranking of health levels – which takes into account poor health, disability and unpaid care – Blackburn with Darwen ranks 312th of England and Wales's 331 local authority areas.

A spokesperson for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council said: “The ONS ranking provides a combined measure of self-reported health, disability, and levels unpaid care for all local authorities in England.  

“Whilst it is a useful indicator of some aspects of health in the borough, it does not include other important information such as the causes and presence of ill health in the population.”

Sally Gainsbury, senior fellow at the think tank, highlighted the impact socio-economic factors had on people's health.

She said: "The role of socio-economic inequalities was often overlooked in health inequalities policy in the decade up until the pandemic.

"NHS England needs to follow through with their new focus on economic deprivation, as well as other, often related, drivers of health inequalities such as racial discrimination and social exclusion.

"We look forward to the Government giving these issues the attention they deserve in the long-delayed white paper on health inequalities."

The Department for Health and Social Care said the gap in the number of years people live in good health is "stark and unacceptable".

A spokesperson added: "We recently announced a major conditions strategy to address regional disparities in health outcomes, supporting the levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030.

"There is already work ongoing across the North East, with the local Integrated Care Board investing £39 million over the next three years to prevent ill health and address health disparities."