Photo: Colin Park · CC BY-SA 2.0Lives in Ilkeston are shorter than across England: 77.5 for men and 80.8 for women
England as a whole stood at 79.1 and 83.0 over 2019 to 2023. Inside the town, men’s life expectancy runs from 75.1 in Cotmanhay to 80.3 in Shipley, 0.6 miles apart. Ilkeston grades D for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, early deaths, hospital admissions, child obesity and Census health, each adjusted for age; #47 of 59 in Derbyshire.
What stands out about health in Ilkeston
A&E waits run longer than England’s
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the A&E at Queen's Medical Centre, saw 43% of major-A&E patients within four hours in the 12 months to September 2026, against 61% across England: 116th of 117 trusts. 26% of patients admitted through its A&Es waited more than 12 hours from the decision to admit, against 13% in England. A&E ↓
A 5-year gap from one part of Ilkeston to another
Men in Shipley can expect to live to 80.3, longer than the English average of 79.1. In Cotmanhay, 0.6 miles away, the figure is 75.1, and Cotmanhay records 157 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected for its ages. For women the range is 77.1 in Kirk Hallam to 83.5 in Shipley. Neighbourhoods ↓
Patients rate Ilkeston’s GP practices below England’s
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 72% of patients at Ilkeston’s 5 practices called their overall experience good, against 77% across England, and 49% found it easy to get through by phone (57% in England). That is behind 79% of English towns. GP practices ↓
More of Ilkeston’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 82% 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.
Ilkeston grades D for health
Healthier than 15% of UK towns, on age-adjusted measures.
Behind the typical UK town on every measure. Even its strongest, emergency admissions and child obesity, are in the bottom 40% of UK towns; preventable deaths and women’s years in good health are furthest behind. Among the 215 UK towns of 27,000 to 52,000 people, Ilkeston’s Health Grade is the 138th 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.
Nottingham University Hospitals saw 43% 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: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust runs the A&E at Queen's Medical Centre, the nearest to Ilkeston (5.6 mi).
The share seen within four hours slipped from an average of 47% in April 2025 to September 2025 to 44% in the latest six months; England’s was 62%. Long waits for a bed are commoner than at 86% of trusts: 11,018 patients in 12 months, 26% of emergency admissions through A&E. CQC’s latest ratings for Queen's Medical Centre: urgent and emergency services requires improvement (2021), the hospital overall requires improvement (2026).
Midlands trusts
Hospitals within 25 miles
| Distance | Hospital | CQC overall | Urgent & emergency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.6 mi | Queen's Medical Centre A&E Nottingham · Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2021 |
| 6.5 mi | Nottingham City Hospital Nottingham · Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | Good2026 | — |
| 7.7 mi | Florence Nightingale Community Hospital Derby · University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust | Not rated | — |
| 9.5 mi | Royal Derby Hospital A&E Derby · University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2026 |
| 12 mi | King's Mill Hospital A&E Sutton In Ashfield · Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Good2026 | Good2026 |
| 14 mi | Loughborough Hospital Loughborough · Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
| 14 mi | Loughborough Hospital Loughborough · University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
| 17 mi | Coalville Community Hospital Coalville · Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
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 across Ilkeston runs from 75.1 to 80.3
Life expectancy at birth, 2019–23, in Ilkeston’s 5 middle-layer neighbourhoods (about 8,000 people each). Circles are sized by residents and show men’s life expectancy.
The gap follows deprivation closely: Cotmanhay, where 48% of residents are income-deprived, has men’s life expectancy of 75.1. Cotmanhay has the most deaths under 75 for its ages (157 per 100 expected), against 77 in Shipley.
Show every measure as a table
| Neighbourhood | Men | Women | Deaths under 75 | Emergency admissions | Year 6 obese | Income-deprived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shipley | 80.3 | 83.5 | 77 | 81 | 18% | 16% |
| Hallam Fields & Greenwood Ave | 78.7 | 83.1 | 107 | 81 | 21% | 20% |
| Kirk Hallam | 77.0 | 77.1 | 138 | 97 | 23% | 31% |
| Ilkeston Town | 76.3 | 80.0 | 124 | 105 | 26% | 29% |
| Cotmanhay | 75.1 | 79.3 | 157 | 116 | 29% | 48% |
Deaths and admissions per 100 expected for each area’s ages (England = 100). Each figure has a range: Cotmanhay’s men’s life expectancy is 75.1 with a 95% range of 73.0 to 77.2. Neighbourhoods are ONS middle-layer areas at least 30% inside Ilkeston; names are the House of Commons Library’s.
72% of patients rate Ilkeston’s 5 GP practices good
GP Patient Survey 2026 (NHS England, run by Ipsos), about 100 patients a practice, against 77% across England. 136th of 176 English towns of 27,000 to 52,000, from the highest.
| Practice | Overall experience | Easy by phone | Wait about right | CQC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Street Surgery DE7 5PZ · 3,391 adult patients | 96% good · range 93%–98% | 90% | 82% | Not rated |
| Eden Surgery DE7 5AN · 3,832 adult patients | 94% good · range 90%–97% | 91% | 92% | Good2025 |
| Gladstone House Surgery DE7 5QS · 4,196 adult patients | 87% good · range 82%–90% | 72% | 73% | Good2025 |
| Old Station Surgery DE7 8ES · 12,091 adult patients | 64% good · range 44%–80% | 47% | 60% | Requires improvement2023 |
| Littlewick Medical Centre DE7 5PR · 14,672 adult patients | 63% good · range 37%–83% | 24% | 49% | Outstanding2016 |
South Street Surgery has the town’s highest rating (96%). CQC inspections and patients don’t always agree: the one practice CQC rates outstanding, Littlewick Medical Centre, is the one patients rate lowest, at 63%. 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 Ilkeston when its main surgery is inside the built-up area; branch surgeries are part of their main practice. CQC ratings © Care Quality Commission.
Men’s life expectancy in Ilkeston 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.
28% of Ilkeston’s residents are income-deprived, more than in most English towns. For that level, the line predicts 77.8 years for men; Ilkeston’s is 77.5. For women it predicts 81.9, and Ilkeston’s 80.8 is 1.1 years below.
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 Ilkeston
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 Ilkeston).
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.
78% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Adjusted for age, 123 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Ilkeston | Derbyshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 78% | 80% | 82% |
| Fair health | 16% | 14% | 13% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.5% | 6% | 5.2% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 9.4% | 8.5% | 7.4% |
Derbyshire and England: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
Ilkeston’s Health Grade is 138th of 215 UK towns of 27,000 to 52,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Ilkeston, and others in Derbyshire. Life expectancy for men / women; deaths under 75 per 100 expected.
| # | Town | People | Life expectancy | Deaths under 75 | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harpenden Hertfordshire | 30,964 | 83.0 / 86.8 | 58 | A+ |
| 2 | Fleet Hampshire | 37,800 | 83.3 / 85.7 | 58 | A+ |
| 3 | Wokingham Berkshire | 50,320 | 82.7 / 86.1 | 67 | A+ |
| … | |||||
| 100 | Long Eaton Derbyshire | 37,815 | 78.7 / 83.0 | 104 | C |
| … | |||||
| 131 | Swadlincote Derbyshire | 34,569 | 77.5 / 82.0 | 112 | C− |
| … | |||||
| 136 | Denton Greater Manchester | 36,005 | 77.7 / 81.6 | 121 | C− |
| 137 | Newark-on-Trent Nottinghamshire | 29,755 | 76.4 / 81.2 | 128 | C− |
| 138 | Ilkeston Derbyshire | 38,723 | 77.5 / 80.8 | 119 | D |
| 139 | Chorley Lancashire | 39,539 | 76.3 / 81.5 | 125 | D |
| 140 | Oldbury West Midlands | 45,188 | 77.5 / 82.5 | 115 | D |
| … | |||||
| 215 | Wishaw North Lanarkshire | 30,190 | 72.6 / 77.9 | — | 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 Ilkeston
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilkeston | 38,723 | 77.5 / 80.8 | 5.6 mi | D |
| Awsworth | 2,444 | 81.2 / 83.8 | 5.3 mi | B− |
| West Hallam | 5,912 | 80.7 / 83.5 | 7.5 mi | B+ |
| Trowell | 2,165 | 81.2 / 83.8 | 3.8 mi | B− |
| Eastwood | 18,890 | 79.0 / 82.2 | 6.6 mi | C− |
| Kimberley | 4,467 | 80.4 / 84.1 | 5.1 mi | C+ |
| Heanor | 24,264 | 77.8 / 81.5 | 8.3 mi | C− |
| Stapleford | 15,041 | 80.3 / 84.2 | 3.7 mi | C |
Awsworth, 1.6 miles away, has men’s life expectancy of 81.2, 3.7 years longer than Ilkeston’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 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS 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 Ilkeston.
- 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 Ilkeston
How healthy is Ilkeston?
Ilkeston earns a D for health, healthier than 15% of UK towns on measures adjusted for age, and 138th of 215 UK towns of its size. Life expectancy is 77.5 for men and 80.8 for women (England 79.1 and 83.0), and there are 119 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected.
Which parts of Ilkeston have the highest life expectancy?
For men, Shipley (80.3), Hallam Fields & Greenwood Ave (78.7) and Kirk Hallam (77.0); the shortest is Cotmanhay (75.1). For women, Shipley is highest (83.5) and Kirk Hallam lowest (77.1). OHID figures for 2019 to 2023, by neighbourhood of about 8,000 people.
How long are A&E waits at Queen's Medical Centre?
NHS England publishes waits for the trust, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. In the 12 months to September 2026 it saw 43% of major-A&E patients within four hours, against 61% across England; in September 2026 the figure was 45%. In an emergency call 999; for urgent advice call NHS 111.
Can I get an NHS dentist in Ilkeston?
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 Ilkeston do patients rate highest?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, South Street Surgery (96% good overall), Eden Surgery (94% good overall) and Gladstone House Surgery (87% good overall). Across all 5 Ilkeston practices, 72% of patients rate their practice good, against 77% in England.
What is the life expectancy in Ilkeston?
77.5 years for men and 80.8 for women, on OHID’s figures for 2019 to 2023. Men can expect 60.9 of those years and women 62.0 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.