A new study has revealed that the life expectancy of women living in deprived areas of the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area has dramatically fallen by four years since 2013.

The report shows that this fall is much more severe than in any other council area in Northern Ireland. Life expectancy in deprived areas of the Fermanagh and Omagh council area was 83.2 for the period 2011-13 with the most recent figures for 2015-17 seeing that fall to 79.3.

This decline was first apparent in the 2018 Health Inequalities Annual Report, which was released in March of 2018.

It showed a drop of 3.4 years over a five-year period in female life expectancy in deprived areas of Fermanagh and Omagh council area.

The 2019 report, which was released last month shows a further decline of 0.6 years.

This year’s report also shows that none of the other council areas have seen anything like as dramatic a fall as Fermanagh and Omagh.

Antrim and Newtownabbey, with a decrease in life expectancy for females in deprived areas of 1.2 year, is the next largest fall outside of Fermanagh and Omagh which has seen a fall of 3.9 years.

The annual report is complied by the Department of Health to identify trends in health inequality. It uses 41 different metrics, such as life expectancy, admissions to hospitals, drug related deaths, cancer incidence and others.

Of the 11 council areas Fermanagh and Omagh is the only area that did not see the narrowing of inequality in any of 41 metrics.

The Impartial Reporter asked the Western Health and Social Care Trust several questions relating to female life expectancy in deprived areas of Fermanagh and Omagh.

This paper asked if the WHSCT identified the decline as revealed in the 2018 report and whether it had acted to identify the reasons for the fall and whether it had taken steps to address the fall.

The Impartial Reporter also asked the WHSCT if, following the most recent report last month that indicated a further decline, any specific steps were being taken regarding the issue of female life expectancy in deprived areas in Fermanagh and Omagh council area.

The WHSCT did not address the 2018 report but issued a statement that said the issue was highlighted at the recent health summit held in Enniskillen:

“The issue in respect of the decline in the female life expectancy was discussed in the conference and the PHA are working to establish the possible reasons/factors for the decline in the first instance so that they can target/commission how best to address,” the statement explained

In 12 of the 41 metrics used in the Health Inequalities Annual Report there was a widening of the inequality gap (differential between deprived areas and area average)in Fermanagh and Omagh Council area.

In the 11 council areas only Derry and Strabane with 14 and Mid Ulster with 15 had more metrics where inequality had widened.

Derry and Strabane saw a narrowing of the inequality gap in four metrics while Mid Ulster achieved a narrowing in six metrics.

Four of the five largest inequality gaps in Fermanagh and Omagh were related to drugs and alcohol admissions and deaths.

Alcohol related admissions had an 86 per cent differential with alcohol related deaths 71 per cent.

For drug related admissions and drug related deaths the differential was 63 per cent and 75 per cent respectively.

The figures also showed that admissions for self-harm also had a wide differential at 63 per cent.