Public Health England report finds Tower Hamlets with ‘lowest life expectancy in London’

Residents might be tempted to relocate after statistics show east Londoners are likely to die earlier than west Londoners, with Tower Hamlets coming bottom of the life expectancy table.

The life expectancy of a man living in the borough is five years lower than his counterpart in Kensington and Chelsea and a woman is expected to live 3.9 years less than those in Richmond.

The report, called “Understanding the Inequalities in London’s Life Expectancy and Health Life Expectancy” reveals that the borough’s blokes can expect to live to 77.1 years, one and a half years below the national average, while women live to 82.

East Londoner, Lauren Gornall, 31, attributed the lower life expectancy to “low income, cost of living, poverty and cuts to government services that give support.”

She added: “If you can afford to live in West London you are naturally less likely to be affected by all of this.”

Dr Tania Anastasiadis, a local GP and the clinical lead for cancer at NHS Tower Hamlets Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) explained that Tower Hamlets has the highest death rates in London because of heart disease, stroke, cancer and chronic lung disease.

She explained: “Healthy living plays a large part in determining life expectancy, and as GPs, we encourage residents to take control of their own health by stopping smoking, eating a healthier diet, cutting down the amount of alcohol they drink and being more active.”

Dr Yvonne Doyle, regional director for Public Health England in London, said: “The evidence is clear - a person’s likelihood of dying early varies widely between boroughs due to differences in risk factors such as being overweight, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol consumption and smoking, and that these are closely linked to economic deprivation.

“People should take actions to protect themselves from a premature death by accessing screening services and free health checks.”