Life Expectancy in Special Areas (Urban/Rural, Deprivation and Community Health Partnership) within Scotland, 2005-2007

1. Introduction

This publication summarises the Registrar General for Scotland’s life expectancy figures for the following "special areas" within Scotland:

Urban and Rural Areas
The urban-rural split used in this publication is based on the Scottish Government’s 6-fold Urban Rural Classification version 2007-2008. The differences between the 2005-2006 and the 2007-2008 classifications stem from changes to either settlement populations or settlement boundaries. The definitions of urban and rural areas underlying the classification are unchanged. For more information visit Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification 2007-2008.

The 6-fold classification distinguishes between urban, rural and remote areas within Scotland. It is consistent with the Government's definition of rurality and includes the following categories:

1 Large Urban	Settlements of over 125,000 people.
2 Other Urban	Settlements of 10,000 to 125,000 people.
3 Accessible Small Towns	Settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more.
4 Remote Small Towns	Settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people and with a drive time of over 30 minutes to a settlement of 10,000 or more.
5 Accessible Rural	Settlements of less than 3,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more.
6 Remote Rural	Settlements of less than 3,000 people and with a drive time of over 30 minutes to a settlement of 10,000 or more.

Deprivation areas
Deprivation areas are based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2006 developed by the Scottish Government. The SIMD ranks the 6,505 Scottish data zones (areas of compact shape and similar social characteristics, with populations of between 500 and 1,000 people) from 1 (most deprived) to 6,505 (least deprived). The SIMD rank can be split into vigintiles, deciles and quintiles. Life expectancy figures for deprivation areas have been presented in this way.

Community Health Partnerships
Community Health Partnerships (CHPs) are organisations responsible for managing community health services in Scotland. CHPs develop existing links between community and hospital-based health services and local authority services such as social work, housing, leisure and education. Their principal aim is to improve the long-term health and wellbeing of communities and enhance the quality of health and social care services. In some areas, such as Glasgow, the Partnerships are responsible for many local social care services and are therefore called Community Health and Care Partnerships (CHCPs) or Community Health and Social Care Partnerships (CHSCPs) and are run jointly by the NHS with local Council partners.

The Scotland-level life expectancy estimate shown in this publication is for use only as a comparator for the corresponding sub-Scotland-level figures. The definitive Scotland-level life expectancy estimate (based on interim life tables) is published by the Office for National Statistics: National Statistics Online - Interim Life tables.

Life expectancy statistics for each Council and NHS Board area were given in Life Expectancy for Administrative Areas within Scotland, 2005-2007 published by GROS on 25 September 2009. Section 4 of that publication provides further information on national and sub-national life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.

These life expectancy figures may be of particular use in monitoring and investigating health inequality issues across Scotland and in setting public health targets, particularly when used in conjunction with the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2006.

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