The standard of health services is high and, generally speaking, people in Dorset are healthier than elsewhere in the country. More than one fifth of our population is aged over 65 and 13 per cent is aged 75 and over. These are both higher than the national average. When age is taken into account, the death rate for men in 1997 was 13 per cent below the average for England and Wales and for women 14 percent below average.
Younger people are healthier, too.
Premature deaths from heart disease among people below the age of 65 in Dorset have fallen in the last ten years and are well below the average for England and Wales. Deaths from cancer in people under 65 also are below the average for England and Wales. The main exception to this is skin cancer which has been rising both in Dorset and nationally. In Dorset in 1997, deaths from skin cancer were 39 per cent above the average for England and Wales, although it is important to realise that the actual numbers are still small. In addition to skin cancer, there are one or two other areas in which Dorset does not feature quite so well.