Live longer - move from Bexhill to Ewhurst

"Significant health inequalities" in 11 Rother and Hastings wards will be highlighted when Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust outlines its strategic commissioning plan.

Life expectancy in these wards is significantly below the East Sussex average - and four of the worst affected are in Bexhill.

The plan will be put to Rother Local Strategic Partnership when it meets at the Town Hall on Wednesday, November 28.

The PCT's strategic commissioning plan will be explained by the director of commissioning and primary care, Sarah Valentine; the joint strategic assessment needs by Diana Grice, director of public health and medical direction for Hastings and Rother PCT and East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT.

The meeting will be told of an increasing number of old people locally and a decline in the birth rate.

The joint needs assessment defines the attitudes and behaviour that affect health - such as smoking, binge drinking and poor diet - which can be linked to deprivation.

The highest life expectancy in Rother and Hastings is in Ewhurst and Sedlescombe ward - 84.4 years compared with a PCT area average of 81.0 and an East Sussex average of 81.1.

Central St Leonards rates lowest at 72.1 years with Sackville Ward Bexhill second at 74.9; St Michael's Ward fifth at 75.9 and Sidley sixth at 76.2 years.

The meeting will be told that the primary areas where investment is needed to improve health are:

*Improvement in vascular disease - particularly through better services for old people

*Chronic disease management - improving detection and systematic management and treatment of cardiovascular disease, strokes and diabetes

*Better health protection measures through immunisation and screening

*Improved mental health and wellbeing

The PCT aims via better commissioning of health care to:

*Encourage individuals to manager their own health better and more involved in decisions about their own care and treatment

*Encourage participation for the wider community and partnership working with local organisations

*Involve the public in the design of services at PCT and GP practice level

*Develop a patient and public involvement strategy by next April

*Seek feedback from stakeholders on the strategic commissioning plan

*Issue a prospectus to the public next Spring and seek feedback

The meeting will be told of planned service improvements.

The PCT wants to modernise primary care services from GPS, optometrists and dentists, ensure appropriate availability for both rural and urban locations, take primary care services out of hospitals and into the community and ensure that adequate and suitable premises are available to meeting these needs.

It seeks access to doctors within 24 hours, the ability to book in advance, extended opening hours and minimum choice of four secondary care providers

It seeks to ensure that every patient has access to an NHS dentist with five miles of home in urban locations and 15 miles in rural.