Photo: Pete Cruse · CC BY-SA 2.011 years separate the longest- and shortest-lived parts of Plymouth
Inside the city, men’s life expectancy runs from 73.1 in Stonehouse to 83.6 in Plymstock Hooe & Oreston, 2.3 miles apart. Life expectancy is 78.7 for men and 82.5 for women. For 2019 to 2023, England’s figures are 79.1 and 83.0. Plymouth grades C− for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, early deaths, hospital admissions, child obesity and Census health, each adjusted for age; #45 of 47 in Devon.
What stands out about health in Plymouth
A&E waits run longer than England’s
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, which runs the A&E at Derriford Hospital, saw 38% of major-A&E patients within four hours in the 12 months to September 2026, against 61% across England: 117th of 117 trusts. 15% of patients admitted through its A&Es waited more than 12 hours from the decision to admit, against 13% in England. A&E ↓
An 11-year gap from one part of Plymouth to another
Men in Plymstock Hooe & Oreston can expect to live to 83.6, longer than the English average of 79.1. In Stonehouse, 2.3 miles away, the figure is 73.1, and Devonport, Mount Wise & Morice Town records 177 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected for its ages. For women the range is 78.1 in Devonport, Mount Wise & Morice Town to 87.9 in Plympton Chaddlewood. Neighbourhoods ↓
An NHS dentist is harder to find in Devon than anywhere else in England
Of adults in the Devon area who tried to get an NHS dental appointment in the last two years, 62% succeeded, the lowest of England’s 36 health areas; across England it was 82%. Dentists ↓
Patients rate Plymouth’s GP practices below England’s
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 67% of patients at Plymouth’s 21 practices called their overall experience good, against 77% across England, and 45% found it easy to get through by phone (57% in England). That is behind 89% of English towns. GP practices ↓
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.
Plymouth grades C− for health
Healthier than 20% of UK towns, on age-adjusted measures.
Behind the typical UK town on every measure. Even its strongest, child obesity and women’s life expectancy, are in the bottom 40% of UK towns; deaths under 75 and women’s years in good health are furthest behind. Among the 48 UK towns of 187,000 to 360,000 people, Plymouth’s Health Grade is the 30th 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.
University Hospitals Plymouth saw 38% 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 Plymouth NHS Trust runs the A&E at Derriford Hospital, the nearest to Plymouth (1.9 mi).
The share seen within four hours slipped from an average of 50% in April 2025 to September 2025 to 36% in the latest six months; England’s was 62%. Long waits for a bed are commoner than at 63% of trusts: 5,386 patients in 12 months, 15% of emergency admissions through A&E. CQC’s latest ratings for Derriford Hospital: urgent and emergency services requires improvement (2026), the hospital overall requires improvement (2026).
South West trusts
Hospitals within 25 miles
| Distance | Hospital | CQC overall | Urgent & emergency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 mi | Mount Gould Hospital Plymouth · University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | Requires improvement2025 | — |
| 1.7 mi | Royal Eye Infirmary Plymouth · University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | Requires improvement2026 | — |
| 1.9 mi | Derriford Hospital A&E Plymouth · University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2026 |
| 4 mi | St Barnabas Hospital Saltash · Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | Not rated | — |
| 11 mi | Tavistock Hospital Tavistock · University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
| 15 mi | Liskeard Community Hospital Liskeard · Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust | Not rated | — |
| 15 mi | Liskeard Community Hospital Liskeard · University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | Not rated | — |
| 17 mi | South Hams Hospital (Kingsbridge Hospital) Kingsbridge · University Hospitals Plymouth 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 Plymouth runs from 73.1 to 83.6
Life expectancy at birth, 2019–23, in Plymouth’s 33 middle-layer neighbourhoods (about 8,000 people each). Circles are sized by residents and show men’s life expectancy.
The gap follows deprivation closely: Devonport, Mount Wise & Morice Town, where 48% of residents are income-deprived, has men’s life expectancy of 73.7. Devonport, Mount Wise & Morice Town has the most deaths under 75 for its ages (177 per 100 expected), against 68 in Plymstock Hooe & Oreston.
Show every measure as a table
| Neighbourhood | Men | Women | Deaths under 75 | Emergency admissions | Year 6 obese | Income-deprived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymstock Hooe & Oreston | 83.6 | 85.1 | 68 | 89 | 17% | 13% |
| Crownhill | 82.9 | 84.9 | 79 | 93 | 17% | 17% |
| Mannamead & Hartley | 82.1 | 82.1 | 80 | 82 | 17% | 7.7% |
| Plympton Chaddlewood | 82.1 | 87.9 | 60 | 88 | 15% | 13% |
| Higher Compton & Eggbuckland | 81.8 | 86.1 | 79 | 96 | 21% | 20% |
| Plympton Underwood | 81.7 | 84.6 | 63 | 86 | 15% | 9.9% |
| Plymstock Goosewell & Staddiscombe | 81.4 | 85.2 | 76 | 87 | 21% | 11% |
| Peverell | 81.3 | 85.2 | 65 | 83 | 19% | 11% |
| Glenholt & Widewell | 81.2 | 84.9 | 67 | 89 | 18% | 10% |
| Woolwell & Lee Mill | 81.0 | 81.7 | 88 | 87 | 13% | 9.4% |
| Plymstock Elburton | 80.9 | 84.2 | 77 | 80 | 15% | 10% |
| Southway | 80.5 | 80.0 | 124 | 112 | 25% | 31% |
| Derriford & Estover | 80.4 | 83.4 | 94 | 107 | 19% | 18% |
| Plympton St Maurice | 80.2 | 86.1 | 76 | 99 | 21% | 17% |
| Ham, Beacon Park & Pennycross | 80.0 | 83.1 | 96 | 101 | 14% | 22% |
| Plympton St Mary | 78.9 | 83.9 | 93 | 93 | 18% | 10% |
| St Budeaux | 78.1 | 81.6 | 120 | 112 | 26% | 36% |
| Efford, Laira & Crabtree | 77.9 | 82.2 | 116 | 128 | 21% | 32% |
| Lipson | 77.8 | 82.8 | 117 | 93 | 18% | 23% |
| King's Tamerton & West Park | 77.7 | 80.8 | 113 | 117 | 24% | 35% |
| North Prospect | 77.6 | 83.1 | 115 | 120 | 20% | 40% |
| Deer Park & Leigham | 77.5 | 83.3 | 114 | 111 | 20% | 25% |
| Honicknowle & Manadon | 77.3 | 82.6 | 128 | 119 | 27% | 33% |
| Ford & Blockhouse Park | 77.3 | 79.8 | 127 | 110 | 20% | 27% |
| Cattedown & Prince Rock | 76.9 | 79.4 | 149 | 111 | 23% | 32% |
| Tamerton Foliot | 76.6 | 82.1 | 138 | 121 | 26% | 34% |
| Ernesettle | 76.5 | 81.6 | 120 | 121 | 26% | 34% |
| Stoke & Pennycomequick | 76.3 | 78.5 | 148 | 107 | 24% | 23% |
| Victoria Park | 76.0 | 84.4 | 138 | — | 28% | 38% |
| Mutley | 74.2 | 78.6 | 149 | 90 | 21% | 17% |
| City Centre, Barbican & Sutton Harbour | 74.0 | 79.4 | 174 | 108 | 24% | 28% |
| Devonport, Mount Wise & Morice Town | 73.7 | 78.1 | 177 | 132 | 24% | 48% |
| Stonehouse | 73.1 | 82.0 | 160 | — | 25% | 39% |
Deaths and admissions per 100 expected for each area’s ages (England = 100). Each figure has a range: Stonehouse’s men’s life expectancy is 73.1 with a 95% range of 70.8 to 75.4. Neighbourhoods are ONS middle-layer areas at least 30% inside Plymouth; names are the House of Commons Library’s.
62% of adults in the Devon 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 Plymouth).
Devon has the lowest success rate of England’s 36 health areas; across England 82% of those who tried got an appointment. Of Devon patients who did, 57% 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.
67% of patients rate Plymouth’s 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoke Surgery PL3 4DP · 6,602 adult patients | 91% good · range 84%–96% | 76% | 98% | Good2019 |
| West Hoe Surgery PL1 3BS · 5,319 adult patients | 90% good · range 84%–93% | 86% | 73% | Good2022 |
| North Road West Medical Centre PL1 5BZ · 8,453 adult patients | 84% good · range 68%–92% | 76% | 67% | Good2019 |
| Dean Cross Surgery PL9 9DL · 8,509 adult patients | 83% good · range 75%–90% | 41% | 82% | Good2017 |
| Church View Surgery PL9 9BN · 10,302 adult patients | 82% good · range 65%–92% | 54% | 74% | Good2026 |
| Elm Surgery PL6 8UF · 8,119 adult patients | 81% good · range 71%–88% | 67% | 80% | Good2022 |
| St Levan Surgery PL2 1JR · 7,099 adult patients | 80% good · range 70%–88% | 60% | 83% | Good2019 |
| Dr Hall, Hillman, Macartney, Mr Smith-Avery, Dr Garstang, Dr Mair & Dr Lindsay PL5 3JB · 11,153 adult patients | 80% good · range 68%–88% | 45% | 75% | Good2016 |
| Wycliffe Surgery PL4 0BZ · 9,201 adult patients | 80% good · range 67%–89% | 71% | 71% | Good2026 |
| Southway Surgery PL6 6DX · 4,341 adult patients | 79% good · range 72%–85% | 63% | 83% | Good2025 |
| Peverell Park Surgery PL2 3PX · 19,905 adult patients | 77% good · range 53%–91% | 66% | 85% | Good2016 |
| Roborough Surgery PL6 6PH · 8,908 adult patients | 76% good · range 66%–83% | 50% | 62% | Good2018 |
| Lisson Grove and Woolwell Medical Centres PL4 7DL · 11,651 adult patients | 75% good · range 55%–88% | 51% | 70% | Good2024 |
| Devonport Health Centre PL1 4JZ · 6,130 adult patients | 66% good · range 56%–74% | 37% | 76% | Good2019 |
| Friary House Surgery PL4 9BH · 10,137 adult patients | 62% good · range 45%–76% | 19% | 68% | Good2025 |
| Budshead Medical Practice PL5 4DU · 5,832 adult patients | 59% good · range 48%–69% | 54% | 44% | Good2018 |
| Oakside Surgery PL5 3PY · 6,253 adult patients | 59% good · range 49%–68% | 46% | 50% | Good2022 |
| St Neots Surgery PL2 3HY · 9,121 adult patients | 58% good · range 45%–71% | 42% | 53% | Good2019 |
| Pathfields Medical Group PL7 1AD · 24,058 adult patients | 54% good · range 37%–70% | 24% | 65% | Good2025 |
| Stirling Road Medical Centre PL5 1PL · 26,873 adult patients | 54% good · range 33%–73% | 32% | 42% | Requires improvement2025 |
| Plympton Health Centre PL7 1AD · 35,512 adult patients | 50% good · range 31%–70% | 21% | 45% | Good2025 |
Stoke Surgery has the city’s highest rating (91%). Plympton Health Centre is by far the largest, with 35,512 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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth 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.
24% of Plymouth’s residents are income-deprived, more than in most English towns. For that level, the line predicts 78.6 years for men; Plymouth’s is 78.7. For women it predicts 82.6, and Plymouth’s 82.5 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 Plymouth
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.
80% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Plymouth’s residents are younger than Devon’s (19% are 65 or over, against 24%), which accounts for much of the difference. Adjusted for age, 122 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Plymouth | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 80% | 80% | 82% |
| Fair health | 14% | 14% | 13% |
| Bad or very bad health | 6.4% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 22% | 21% | 17% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 9.4% | 8.7% | 7.4% |
Devon and England: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
Plymouth’s Health Grade is 30th of 48 UK towns of 187,000 to 360,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Plymouth, and others in Devon. Life expectancy for men / women; deaths under 75 per 100 expected.
| # | Town | People | Life expectancy | Deaths under 75 | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond upon Thames London | 192,888 | 82.2 / 86.6 | 64 | A |
| 2 | Bromley London | 325,469 | 81.3 / 85.1 | 78 | B+ |
| 3 | Harrow London | 260,534 | 80.9 / 85.2 | 78 | B− |
| … | |||||
| 28 | Portsmouth Hampshire | 223,324 | 77.7 / 82.4 | 117 | C− |
| 29 | Greenwich London | 288,117 | 78.1 / 82.0 | 108 | C− |
| 30 | Plymouth Devon | 266,970 | 78.7 / 82.5 | 111 | C− |
| 31 | Newham London | 351,065 | 77.6 / 82.2 | 114 | C− |
| 32 | Tower Hamlets London | 311,072 | 77.7 / 81.7 | 105 | C− |
| … | |||||
| 48 | 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 Plymouth
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | 266,970 | 78.7 / 82.5 | 1.9 mi | C− |
| Torpoint | 7,163 | 77.5 / 83.6 | 4.9 mi | C |
| Sherford | 1,311 | 82.0 / 86.2 | 4.6 mi | A− |
| Saltash | 15,433 | 79.9 / 84.2 | 4.9 mi | C+ |
| Millbrook | 2,299 | 80.2 / 88.3 | 6.5 mi | B− |
| Wembury | 1,828 | 82.9 / 88.0 | 6.6 mi | A+ |
| Yealmpton | 2,007 | 82.7 / 87.6 | 6.8 mi | A |
| Bere Alston | 2,259 | 82.5 / 83.6 | 5.6 mi | B |
Wembury, 5.1 miles away, has men’s life expectancy of 82.9, 4.2 years longer than Plymouth’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 Plymouth 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 Plymouth.
- 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 Plymouth
How healthy is Plymouth?
Plymouth earns a C− for health, healthier than 20% of UK towns on measures adjusted for age, and 30th of 48 UK towns of its size. Life expectancy is 78.7 for men and 82.5 for women (England 79.1 and 83.0), and there are 111 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected.
Which parts of Plymouth have the highest life expectancy?
For men, Plymstock Hooe & Oreston (83.6), Crownhill (82.9) and Mannamead & Hartley (82.1); the shortest is Stonehouse (73.1). For women, Plympton Chaddlewood is highest (87.9) and Devonport, Mount Wise & Morice Town lowest (78.1). OHID figures for 2019 to 2023, by neighbourhood of about 8,000 people.
How long are A&E waits at Derriford Hospital?
NHS England publishes waits for the trust, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. In the 12 months to September 2026 it saw 38% of major-A&E patients within four hours, against 61% across England; in September 2026 the figure was 36%. In an emergency call 999; for urgent advice call NHS 111.
Can I get an NHS dentist in Plymouth?
It is harder than in most of England. In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 62% of adults in the Devon 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 Plymouth do patients rate highest?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, Stoke Surgery (91% good overall), West Hoe Surgery (90% good overall) and North Road West Medical Centre (84% good overall). Across all 21 Plymouth practices, 67% of patients rate their practice good, against 77% in England.
What is the life expectancy in Plymouth?
78.7 years for men and 82.5 for women, on OHID’s figures for 2019 to 2023. Men can expect 63.0 of those years and women 63.7 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.