Public health doctors in Bradford say they remain committed to helping people to live longer, despite a report which found the district is missing targets.

Although people are living longer, a National Audit Office (NAO) report found the gap between deprived areas and richer areas, continued to grow.

Despite a ten year target, between 1995-97 and 2006-08 some primary care trusts in deprived areas only reduced their mortality rates by less than 17 per cent – among them Bradford.

Other areas performing poorly were Salford, Bolton, Middles-brough, Blackburn and Hartlepool.

The NAO report recommended three ways to reduce the gap: prescribing more drugs to control blood pressure and cholesterol, and to help people quit smoking.

Greg Fell, public health consultant at NHS Bradford and Airedale, said the primary care trust was working closely with the local authority to improve health and reduce health inequalities.

It had a strong focus on increasing access to health services for disadvantaged groups and tackling early deaths from heart disease, stroke and cancer.

He said: “Nearly 4,000 people in the district managed to stop smoking with help from our local stop smoking service over the past year, and we work closely with GPs to support them in monitoring people who are at risk of or already diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.

“This involves improving control of blood pressure and reducing cholesterol levels through prescribing statins.

“We are improving the uptake of cancer screening, have re-designed diabetes services to provide community based clinics which offer improved access for patients, particularly those from disadvantaged groups, and later this year we are introducing NHS Health Checks to assess people’s risk of developing heart disease, stroke, kidney disease or diabetes.”

He said people could also do a lot to help themselves stay healthy, by going to their GP with unexplained symptoms.

He said: “In recent years we have seen a reduction in early deaths from cancer and circulatory disease.

“However the deaths from heart disease and strokes in Bradford are worse than the England average, and our life expectancy is below the national average.

“Reducing smoking and harmful alcohol consumption, and improving diet and exercise are crucial to reducing levels of chronic disease and improving lives, so we need to continue to increase people’s general level of health and improve their understanding of their own health needs or detrimental lifestyle choices.”