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<p>The 2013 edition of Health at a Glance - OECD Indicators, presents the most recent
comparable data on key indicators of health and health systems across the 34 Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries. Where possible,
it also reports comparable data for Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, the Russian Federation,
and South Africa, as key emerging countries.</p><p> </p><p>The ranking of the United
Kingdom is as follows:</p><p> </p><p>Infant mortality: UK has the 10<sup>th</sup>
highest number of infant deaths, per 1000 live births, OECD countries<sup>1</sup>;</p><p>
</p><p>Numbers of MRI and CT scanners: CT scanners, UK has the 3<sup>rd</sup> lowest
number of CT scanners per million population amongst OECD countries; MRI units, UK
7<sup>th</sup> lowest per million population amongst OECD countries<sup>2</sup>;</p><p>
</p><p>Low birth weight infants: UK has the 14<sup>th</sup> highest number of low
birth weights as a percentage of total live births compared with other OECD countries<sup>3</sup>;</p><p>
</p><p>Overweight and obesity amongst adults: UK has the 7<sup>th</sup> highest percentage
of population of overweight and obese adults compared with other OECD countries where
obesity is physically measured<sup>4</sup>;</p><p> </p><p>Mortality from cardiovascular
disease: UK has the 15<sup>th</sup> highest mortality rate for ischemic heart disease;
UK was has the 12<sup>th</sup> highest cerebrovascular mortality rate, compared with
other OECD countries<sup>5</sup>;</p><p> </p><p>Mortality from cancer: UK has the
9<sup>th</sup> highest number of people who die from cancer, per 1000 population compared
with other OECD countries<sup>6</sup>;</p><p> </p><p>Life expectancy at 65: UK was
21<sup>st</sup> highest for female life expectancy above the age of 65; UK was 10<sup>th</sup>
highest for male life expectancy above the age of 65 amongst OECD countries<sup>7</sup>.</p><p>
</p><p>We want people to live better for longer by making sure they have the support,
care and treatment they need. Our mandate to the National Health Service sets out
the need for collaborative and partnership working between NHS England, Public Health
England, national and local government and clinical commissioning groups to help achieve
this aim.</p><p> </p><p>Reducing infant mortality is covered in the NHS and Public
Health Outcomes Frameworks and the mandate. The Department is working with Sands,
the Royal College of Midwives and other key partners to agree standardised information
to raise awareness of the risk factors and warning signs for stillbirth.</p><p> </p><p>Mothers
and Babies - Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK
has been appointed to continue the national programme of work investigating maternal
deaths, stillbirths and infant deaths. They aim to identify what went wrong and why
and will make national recommendation on how care can be improved for all mothers
and babies.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises the importance of starting well
through early intervention and prevention and has included ‘low birth weight of term
babies’ as an indicator of health improvement in Public Health Outcomes Framework
for 2013-16.</p><p> </p><p>Encouraging early access to maternity care ensures women
receive the right care at the right time, helping to tackle the negative impact of
health inequalities from the start and to begin to improve the health and wellbeing
of mother and baby. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality
standard for antenatal care emphasises the importance of supporting pregnant women
to access antenatal care early in pregnancy.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Start4Life/NHS
Information Service for Parents provides parents with advice and information from
a trusted source about pregnancy and the first nine months with a baby. The service
includes information on how a baby develops, lifestyle advice, including nutrition,
exercise and smoking, and how all pregnant women can keep healthy throughout pregnancy
and beyond.</p><p> </p><p>Obesity rates in children and adults are levelling off.
This stabilisation has been recognised in the OECD Obesity Update published in June
2014. We have a well-developed and wide-ranging programme of actions to reduce levels
of obesity. These include working with a wide range of partners including Public Health
England, NHS England, Government departments including the Department for Education
and Department for Transport, and industry through the Public Health Responsibility
Deal. Key initiatives include Change4Life, the National Child Measurement Programme,
NHS Health checks, Change4Life Sports Clubs, School Sports Funding and the School
Food Plan.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2001, the under 75 mortality rate for coronary heart
disease (CHD) has fallen by 46% and by 42% for stroke. The Cardiovascular Disease
Outcomes Strategy was published in 2013. It sets out key actions for commissioners
and providers to help further improve outcomes in CHD, stroke and other cardiovascular
diseases.</p><p> </p><p>For cancer, over £750 million has been committed to deliver
the Cancer Outcomes Strategy and save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15.
Since October 2010, the Cancer Drugs Fund has helped over 50,000 cancer patients in
England. The National Institute for Health Research investment in cancer research
rose from £101 million 2010-11 to £133 million in 2012-13. In 2011, the Government
made a commitment to expand radiotherapy capacity by investing over £150 million more
over the Spending Review period.</p><p> </p><p>The NHS decides on CT and MRI equipment
purchase and service provision at a local level according to local population needs.</p><p>
</p><p><em>Notes:</em></p><p> </p><p><sup>1. </sup>The infant mortality rate is the
number of deaths of children under one year of age, expressed per 1,000 live births.</p><p>
</p><p><sup>2. </sup>For MRI units and CT scanners, the numbers of equipment per million
population are reported.</p><p> </p><p><sup>3. </sup>Low birth weight is defined by
the World Health Organization (WHO) as the weight of an infant at birth of less than
2,500 grams (5.5 pounds) irrespective of the gestational age of the infant. The number
of low weight births is then expressed as a percentage of total live births.</p><p>
</p><p><sup>4. </sup>Based on the WHO classification (WHO, 2000), adults with a BMI
from 25 to 30 are defined as overweight, and those with a BMI of 30 or over as obese.
Ranked by percentage of population with BMI 30 or over.</p><p> </p><p><sup>5. </sup>Mortality
rates are based on numbers of deaths registered in a country in a year divided by
the size of the corresponding population. The rates have been directly age-standardised
to the 2010 OECD population to remove variations arising from differences in age structures
across countries and over time. The source is the <em>WHO Mortality Database</em>.
Deaths from ischemic heart disease are classified to ICD-10 codes I20-I25, and cerebrovascular
disease to I60-I69.</p><p> </p><p><sup>6. </sup>Deaths from all cancers are classified
to ICD-10 codes C00-C97.</p><p> </p><p><sup>7. </sup>Life expectancy measures how
long on average a person of a given age can expect to live, if current death rates
do not change.</p><p> </p>
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