Photo: Malcolm Neal · CC BY-SA 2.013 years separate the longest- and shortest-lived parts of Derby
Inside the city, men’s life expectancy runs from 71.8 in Cathedral Quarter & California to 84.5 in Littleover West & Heatherton, 1.9 miles apart. Life expectancy is 77.9 for men and 81.8 for women. England as a whole stood at 79.1 and 83.0 over 2019 to 2023. Derby grades C− for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, early deaths, hospital admissions, child obesity and Census health, each adjusted for age; #44 of 59 in Derbyshire.
What stands out about health in Derby
A 13-year gap from one part of Derby to another
Men in Littleover West & Heatherton can expect to live to 84.5, longer than the English average of 79.1. In Cathedral Quarter & California, 1.9 miles away, the figure is 71.8, and Chaddesden West records 193 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected for its ages. For women the range is 75.7 in Chaddesden West to 88.6 in Allestree South. Neighbourhoods ↓
Patients rate Derby’s GP practices below England’s
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 67% of patients at Derby’s 23 practices called their overall experience good, against 77% across England, and 34% found it easy to get through by phone (57% in England). That is behind 89% of English towns. GP practices ↓
A&E waits run longer than England’s
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the A&E at Royal Derby Hospital, saw 55% of major-A&E patients within four hours in the 12 months to September 2026, against 61% across England: 81st of 117 trusts. 19% of patients admitted through its A&Es waited more than 12 hours from the decision to admit, against 13% in England. A&E ↓
More of Derby’s children are obese
24% of Year 6 children (aged 10 to 11) were measured as obese over the last three school years, against 22.3% across England; more than in 85% of UK towns. Health Grade ↓
Written from the OHID, NHS England and GP Patient Survey figures on this page. Life expectancy covers 2019 to 2023; neighbourhoods are ONS middle-layer areas of about 8,000 people.
Derby grades C− for health
Healthier than 16% of UK towns, on age-adjusted measures.
Behind the typical UK town on every measure. Even its strongest, disability and Census bad health, are in the bottom 30% of UK towns; deaths under 75 and preventable deaths are furthest behind. Among the 46 UK towns of 193,000 to 372,000 people, Derby’s Health Grade is the 37th highest.
Each measure is ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, the ranks are averaged, and the average is ranked again. Every measure allows for the town’s ages: life expectancy is worked out from the death rate at each age, so it doesn’t depend on how old the town’s residents are; deaths and admissions are counted against what England’s rates would give a town with these ages, and the Census answers against England and Wales’s rates by single year of age, so a seaside town of retired people isn’t marked down for being old.
Men’s life expectancy across Derby runs from 71.8 to 84.5
Life expectancy at birth, 2019–23, in Derby’s 30 middle-layer neighbourhoods (about 8,000 people each). Circles are sized by residents and show men’s life expectancy.
The gap follows deprivation closely: Rose Hill & Castleward, where 59% of residents are income-deprived, has men’s life expectancy of 72.7. Chaddesden West has the most deaths under 75 for its ages (193 per 100 expected), against 66 in Littleover West & Heatherton.
Show every measure as a table
| Neighbourhood | Men | Women | Deaths under 75 | Emergency admissions | Year 6 obese | Income-deprived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Littleover West & Heatherton | 84.5 | 88.4 | 66 | 79 | 21% | 12% |
| Allestree North | 83.7 | 87.4 | 68 | 73 | 12% | 7.3% |
| Mickleover North | 83.2 | 85.0 | 75 | 87 | 15% | 11% |
| Allestree South | 82.0 | 88.6 | 60 | 72 | 12% | 5.8% |
| Aston-on-Trent & Barrow-upon-Trent | 81.2 | 85.7 | 80 | 87 | 21% | 14% |
| Darley Abbey | 81.1 | 80.9 | 92 | 84 | 9.5% | 11% |
| Chellaston East | 81.1 | 87.5 | 92 | 84 | 20% | 17% |
| Oakwood | 80.9 | 85.8 | 59 | 79 | 21% | 9.8% |
| Willington North, Findern & Stenson Fields | 80.8 | 84.0 | 91 | 90 | 22% | 14% |
| Normanton West | 80.6 | 84.3 | 87 | 91 | 24% | 16% |
| Spondon North | 80.4 | 85.7 | 91 | 86 | 15% | 9.6% |
| Chaddesden Park | 79.9 | 82.9 | 92 | 107 | 22% | 25% |
| Sunny Hill | 79.7 | 83.5 | 110 | 103 | 24% | 26% |
| Mickleover South | 79.5 | 82.4 | 86 | 100 | 18% | 12% |
| Chaddesden North | 79.0 | 84.8 | 98 | 98 | 20% | 23% |
| Sinfin | 78.4 | 81.4 | 126 | 124 | 33% | 38% |
| Littleover East | 77.6 | 79.6 | 120 | 119 | 19% | 21% |
| Normanton North & Peartree | 77.6 | 81.6 | 118 | 114 | 31% | 49% |
| Chellaston West & Shelton Lock | 77.2 | 81.4 | 110 | 109 | 21% | 18% |
| Boulton | 77.0 | 81.6 | 134 | 123 | 30% | 31% |
| Spondon South | 76.9 | 79.7 | 133 | 126 | 26% | 25% |
| Mackworth | 76.8 | 80.1 | 138 | 114 | 28% | 31% |
| Alvaston & Crewton | 76.2 | 79.8 | 163 | 117 | 26% | 35% |
| Breadsall Hilltop | 75.9 | 81.3 | 125 | 146 | 23% | 32% |
| Wilmorton & Alvaston Village | 74.9 | 78.2 | 158 | 114 | 27% | 29% |
| Chaddesden West | 74.4 | 75.7 | 193 | 137 | 28% | 49% |
| Rose Hill & Castleward | 72.7 | 78.1 | 184 | 147 | 34% | 59% |
| Allenton & Osmaston | 72.7 | 78.4 | 178 | 128 | 29% | 51% |
| New Normanton | 72.1 | 80.3 | 190 | 130 | 33% | 58% |
| Cathedral Quarter & California | 71.8 | 78.3 | 188 | 122 | 30% | 40% |
Deaths and admissions per 100 expected for each area’s ages (England = 100). Each figure has a range: Cathedral Quarter & California’s men’s life expectancy is 71.8 with a 95% range of 70.3 to 73.3. Neighbourhoods are ONS middle-layer areas at least 30% inside Derby; names are the House of Commons Library’s.
67% of patients rate Derby’s 23 GP practices good
GP Patient Survey 2026 (NHS England, run by Ipsos), about 100 patients a practice, against 77% across England.
| Practice | Overall experience | Easy by phone | Wait about right | CQC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Lane Surgery DE22 2DS · 6,927 adult patients | 92% good · range 84%–96% | 74% | 79% | Good2025 |
| Brook Medical Centre DE22 1FT · 3,544 adult patients | 87% good · range 80%–92% | 79% | 85% | Good2016 |
| Peartree Medical Centre DE23 8NQ · 4,095 adult patients | 86% good · range 81%–90% | 47% | 63% | Outstanding2016 |
| Vernon Street Medical Centre DE1 1FW · 9,321 adult patients | 80% good · range 71%–87% | 55% | 70% | Good2016 |
| Derwent Medical Centre DE1 3AZ · 4,160 adult patients | 77% good · range 72%–82% | 64% | 54% | Good2016 |
| Mickleover Medical Centre DE3 0HA · 10,497 adult patients | 76% good · range 63%–86% | 32% | 82% | Good2018 |
| Wilson Street Surgery DE1 1PG · 17,577 adult patients | 75% good · range 42%–93% | 40% | 74% | Good2023 |
| Macklin Street Surgery DE1 1JX · 10,495 adult patients | 74% good · range 56%–87% | 40% | 73% | Outstanding2016 |
| Dr Hale and Partners DE23 8RJ · 22,270 adult patients | 74% good · range 31%–95% | 25% | 56% | Good2018 |
| Dr Ghosh & Partners DE24 0GE · 10,252 adult patients | 73% good · range 58%–85% | 44% | 63% | Good2020 |
| Derwent Valley Medical Practice DE21 6AT · 9,445 adult patients | 73% good · range 58%–84% | 45% | 73% | Good2016 |
| Village Surgery DE23 8AL · 9,791 adult patients | 70% good · range 57%–80% | 45% | 59% | Good2017 |
| Derby Family Medical Centre DE23 6QQ · 6,370 adult patients | 68% good · range 55%–78% | 42% | 58% | Good2018 |
| Mickleover Surgery DE3 9BJ · 5,149 adult patients | 67% good · range 61%–71% | 32% | 71% | Good2017 |
| Horizon Healthcare DE1 1TH · 21,359 adult patients | 66% good · range 33%–89% | 36% | 78% | Good2023 |
| Chapel Street Medical Centre DE21 7RJ · 9,954 adult patients | 66% good · range 52%–77% | 29% | 57% | Outstanding2017 |
| Dr P A A Wood and Partners DE22 2QN · 10,413 adult patients | 65% good · range 48%–79% | 44% | 74% | Good2016 |
| The Park Medical Practice DE21 6LA · 22,319 adult patients | 62% good · range 35%–83% | 11% | 71% | Good2020 |
| Friargate Surgery DE1 1DZ · 4,175 adult patients | 59% good · range 55%–63% | 40% | 68% | Requires improvement2025 |
| Dr Black & Partners DE73 5BG · 12,625 adult patients | 55% good · range 33%–75% | 16% | 64% | Good2017 |
| Parkfields Surgery DE24 8QJ · 5,131 adult patients | 55% good · range 48%–63% | 20% | 55% | Good2020 |
| The Osmaston Surgery DE23 8JX · 10,053 adult patients | 52% good · range 29%–75% | 22% | 46% | Requires improvement2024 |
| Hollybrook Medical Centre DE23 3TX · 27,275 adult patients | 49% good · range 15%–84% | 21% | 45% | Good2022 |
Park Lane Surgery has the city’s highest rating (92%). Hollybrook Medical Centre is by far the largest, with 27,275 adult patients. You can register with any practice whose area covers your address.
GP Patient Survey 2026: surveys sent January to March 2026; results weighted by NHS England. The range is the 95% confidence interval. Adult patients: the survey’s practice population aged 16 and over. A practice counts as in Derby when its main surgery is inside the built-up area; branch surgeries are part of their main practice. CQC ratings © Care Quality Commission.
University Hospitals of Derby and Burton saw 55% of major-A&E patients within four hours
Type 1 (major) A&E attendances seen, admitted or discharged within four hours of arrival, by month. NHS England publishes it by trust, not hospital: University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust runs the A&E at Royal Derby Hospital, the nearest to Derby (1.6 mi).
The share seen within four hours slipped from an average of 61% in April 2025 to September 2025 to 55% in the latest six months; England’s was 62%. Long waits for a bed are commoner than at 72% of trusts: 9,387 patients in 12 months, 19% of emergency admissions through A&E. CQC’s latest ratings for Royal Derby Hospital: urgent and emergency services requires improvement (2026), the hospital overall requires improvement (2026).
Midlands trusts
Hospitals within 25 miles
| Distance | Hospital | CQC overall | Urgent & emergency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3 mi | Florence Nightingale Community Hospital Derby · University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust | Not rated | — |
| 1.6 mi | Royal Derby Hospital A&E Derby · University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2026 |
| 10 mi | Queens Hospital A&E Burton-on-trent · University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2026 |
| 12 mi | Queen's Medical Centre A&E Nottingham · Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2021 |
| 14 mi | Coalville Community Hospital Coalville · Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
| 14 mi | Loughborough Hospital Loughborough · Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
| 14 mi | Loughborough Hospital Loughborough · University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
| 14 mi | Nottingham City Hospital Nottingham · Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | Good2026 | — |
NHS acute hospitals registered with the Care Quality Commission (care directory, 01 October 2026). “A&E” marks a major (type 1) emergency department, open 24 hours and led by consultants, in NHS England’s Emergency Care Data Set; a hospital without the mark may still have a minor injury unit or urgent treatment centre. Ratings run Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate; the year is when each was published. Distances are straight lines from the town centre.
Men’s life expectancy in Derby is about what its level of deprivation predicts
Across 1,996 English towns of 2,500 or more, men’s life expectancy tracks income deprivation closely (correlation −0.81). Each dot is a town.
29% of Derby’s residents are income-deprived, more than in most English towns. For that level, the line predicts 77.7 years for men; Derby’s is 77.9. For women it predicts 81.8, and Derby’s 81.8 is close to it.
Income deprivation: share of residents in low-income households, English Indices of Deprivation 2025, averaged over each town’s neighbourhoods. A town above or below the line isn’t necessarily doing better or worse on care: students, prisons and hostels inside a boundary all shift the figures.
Care in and near Derby
The nearest A&E, the practice patients rate highest, and where to go when it’s urgent but not an emergency. In an emergency, call 999.
83% of adults in the Derby and Derbyshire area who tried got an NHS dental appointment
Adults who tried to get an NHS dental appointment for themselves in the last two years, and got one. GP Patient Survey 2026, by integrated care system (the NHS area that plans dentistry for Derby).
Across England 82% of those who tried got an appointment. Of Derby and Derbyshire patients who did, 74% rated the experience good (England 74%). NHS practices taking new patients are listed on the NHS website’s Find a dentist; for urgent dental pain, call NHS 111.
The survey asks GP patients about dentistry, so results are published for health areas, not towns or practices.
81% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Derby’s residents are younger than Derbyshire’s (16% are 65 or over, against 20%), which accounts for much of the difference. Adjusted for age, 116 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Derby | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 81% | 80% | 82% |
| Fair health | 13% | 14% | 13% |
| Bad or very bad health | 5.6% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 18% | 20% | 17% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 8% | 8.5% | 7.4% |
Derbyshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
Derby’s Health Grade is 37th of 46 UK towns of 193,000 to 372,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Derby, and others in Derbyshire. Life expectancy for men / women; deaths under 75 per 100 expected.
| # | Town | People | Life expectancy | Deaths under 75 | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bromley London | 325,469 | 81.3 / 85.1 | 78 | B+ |
| 2 | Harrow London | 260,534 | 80.9 / 85.2 | 78 | B− |
| 3 | Westminster London | 203,571 | 81.2 / 85.4 | 83 | B− |
| … | |||||
| 35 | Southampton Hampshire | 249,633 | 78.1 / 82.2 | 118 | C− |
| 36 | Cardiff South Glamorgan | 348,511 | — | — | C− |
| 37 | Derby Derbyshire | 275,561 | 77.9 / 81.8 | 126 | C− |
| 38 | Barking and Dagenham London | 218,236 | 76.9 / 81.1 | 125 | C− |
| 39 | Coventry West Midlands | 344,289 | 76.9 / 81.5 | 128 | C− |
| … | |||||
| 46 | Belfast Belfast | 293,298 | 76.3 / 80.5 | — | D− |
Health letters rank against every UK town of 1,000 or more; the order here is context only. Welsh towns are graded on life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and the two Census measures: OHID’s early-death, admissions and child-obesity figures cover England.
Health in the places around Derby
Life expectancy for men / women, and the nearest A&E. Tap a town for its health page.
| Town | People | Life expectancy | Nearest A&E | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derby | 275,561 | 77.9 / 81.8 | 1.6 mi | C− |
| Findern | 1,608 | 80.8 / 84.0 | 2.9 mi | B− |
| Borrowash | 7,171 | 79.6 / 83.4 | 5.8 mi | C+ |
| Little Eaton | 1,875 | 81.2 / 86.5 | 4.8 mi | A− |
| Aston-on-Trent | 2,433 | 81.2 / 85.7 | 6.3 mi | B+ |
| Makeney | 4,691 | 83.2 / 86.5 | 5.3 mi | A+ |
| Willington | 2,717 | 80.5 / 83.6 | 4.5 mi | B+ |
| Etwall | 3,080 | 81.0 / 83.6 | 4.1 mi | B |
Makeney, 5.3 miles away, has men’s life expectancy of 83.2, 5.3 years longer than Derby’s.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- A&E figures are for the trust. NHS England publishes four-hour waits by trust, not hospital, so University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust’s figures cover every major A&E it runs. They count type 1 (major) departments; minor injury units and urgent treatment centres are left out, which is why they sit below the all-types figure NHS England headlines (75% for England).
- The GP survey is a survey. About 100 patients answer for each practice, so a practice’s figure has a range (shown in the table); small differences between practices aren’t meaningful. The town figure weights each practice by its adult patients, some of whom live outside Derby.
- Adjusted for age. A ratio of 100 means as many deaths, admissions or reports of bad health as England’s rates (England and Wales’s for the Census) would give a town with these ages; 120 means a fifth more.
- Small areas, summed to the town. OHID publishes these figures for middle-layer areas of about 8,000 people; the town’s figure averages the areas it covers, weighted by how many of their residents live in it, so a village shares its area’s figure with the countryside around it.
- Different years. Life expectancy and deaths cover 2019 to 2023; emergency admissions 2016/17 to 2020/21 (the latest OHID publishes for small areas, including the pandemic dip); child obesity the three school years to 2024/25; A&E the 12 months to September 2026; the GP Patient Survey early 2026; CQC ratings were published on different dates, shown in each row.
- Distances are straight lines. Miles are measured from the town’s centre to each site; the road is longer. For an emergency, call 999; for urgent advice, call NHS 111.
Questions about health in Derby
How healthy is Derby?
Derby earns a C− for health, healthier than 16% of UK towns on measures adjusted for age, and 37th of 46 UK towns of its size. Life expectancy is 77.9 for men and 81.8 for women (England 79.1 and 83.0), and there are 126 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected.
Which parts of Derby have the highest life expectancy?
For men, Littleover West & Heatherton (84.5), Allestree North (83.7) and Mickleover North (83.2); the shortest is Cathedral Quarter & California (71.8). For women, Allestree South is highest (88.6) and Chaddesden West lowest (75.7). OHID figures for 2019 to 2023, by neighbourhood of about 8,000 people.
How long are A&E waits at Royal Derby Hospital?
NHS England publishes waits for the trust, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. In the 12 months to September 2026 it saw 55% of major-A&E patients within four hours, against 61% across England; in September 2026 the figure was 54%. In an emergency call 999; for urgent advice call NHS 111.
Can I get an NHS dentist in Derby?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 83% of adults in the Derby and Derbyshire area who tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years got one, against 82% across England. Practices taking new NHS patients are listed on the NHS website’s Find a dentist service.
Which GP practice in Derby do patients rate highest?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, Park Lane Surgery (92% good overall), Brook Medical Centre (87% good overall) and Peartree Medical Centre (86% good overall). Across all 23 Derby practices, 67% of patients rate their practice good, against 77% in England.
What is the life expectancy in Derby?
77.9 years for men and 81.8 for women, on OHID’s figures for 2019 to 2023. Men can expect 62.4 of those years and women 62.8 in good health.
CQC ratings © Care Quality Commission.
Sources: OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (life expectancy and deaths 2019–23, emergency admissions 2016/17–2020/21, NCMP 2022/23–2024/25); House of Commons Library MSOA names · ONS health state life expectancy for small areas (MSOAs), England and Wales, 2019 to 2023 (healthy life expectancy) · ONS Census 2021 general health and disability, adjusted for age · Care Quality Commission care directory and latest ratings, 01 October 2026 · NHS Organisation Data Service · GP Patient Survey 2026 (NHS England, run by Ipsos) · NHS England, A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions (monthly, by trust) and Emergency Care Data Set activity by site, June–September 2026 (type 1 A&Es) · MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025 · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.