Health protection work helping more Wirral residents stay healthier for longer

More people in Wirral are staying healthier for longer thanks to local health protection work that is helping to prevent illness, improve early diagnosis and strengthen support for communities across the borough. 

Progress is highlighted in the latest annual update on Wirral's Health Protection Strategy, which will be presented to the Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee on 15 September 2026. 

The report outlines the progress made by Wirral Council, NHS partners and other organisations working together to protect residents from infectious diseases, environmental hazards and emerging health threats.

Developed following the pandemic, the Wirral Health Protection Strategy focuses on prevention, reducing health inequalities and ensuring local services are prepared to respond to future challenges. The latest update demonstrates how partnership working is helping improve health outcomes across a wide range of areas.

The report highlights a number of positive results:

• Breast cancer screening uptake has increased to 74.8%, exceeding both the North West and England averages.
• Bowel cancer screening uptake remains above the North West average, helping support earlier diagnosis and treatment.
• Hospital admissions for urinary tract infections have fallen by 33.5% compared with 2018/19 levels, significantly exceeding the local target of a 10% reduction.
• Flu vaccination uptake among residents aged 65 and over last winter continued to exceed the national target of 75%.
• HIV treatment outcomes remain strong, with 97.4% of people receiving care achieving viral suppression and 99.5% receiving treatment, both above the national benchmark of 95%.
• Air pollution-related mortality has continued its longer-term downward trend, reflecting ongoing work to improve air quality and protect population health across Wirral.

The report also highlights the continued focus on prevention and reducing health inequalities. During the past year, partners have delivered targeted vaccination campaigns, supported local cancer screening initiatives, strengthened responses to measles and other infectious disease outbreaks, and developed tailored communications to help residents access services and protect their health.

While progress has been made, work continues in areas where further improvement is needed. This includes increasing uptake of vaccinations in some groups and communities, tackling antimicrobial resistance, reducing infection rates and ensuring all residents can benefit from prevention and early intervention services. There are also ongoing efforts to encourage earlier diagnosis of HIV and to tackle differences in health outcomes between communities.

To help address these challenges, local partners will develop new Immunisation and Screening Action Plans to increase uptake in areas where participation is lowest, refresh plans to reduce infection rates, expand neighbourhood-based work to tackle health inequalities, carry out further cancer screening insight work, strengthen emergency preparedness arrangements and continue action to improve air quality, strengthen climate resilience and reduce the health impacts of adverse weather.

The Health Protection Strategy will be refreshed ahead of its conclusion in 2027, building on the successes and learning from the current programme and helping ensure Wirral continues to prevent ill health, reduce inequalities and protect the health of its residents in the years ahead.

The report will be presented to Wirral Council's Adult Social Care and Public Health Committee on 15 September 2026. Residents can watch the meeting live or view the agenda and papers online at: https://democracy.wirral.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=908&MId=12770&Ver=4.