Photo: Jaggery · CC BY-SA 2.0For the ages of its people, Nelson has more residents in bad health than expected
At the 2021 Census, 143 people reported bad or very bad health for every 100 expected from Nelson’s ages at England and Wales’s rates. Life expectancy for 2019 to 2023 is 77.0 for men and 80.7 for women, against 78.1 and 81.9 across Wales. Nelson grades D for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, and Census bad health and disability, each adjusted for age; #14 of 38 in Gwent.
What stands out about health in Nelson
More people report bad health than its ages predict
At the 2021 Census, 143 residents reported bad or very bad health for every 100 that England and Wales’s rates would give a town with these ages, and 126 were disabled for every 100 expected. Census health ↓
Written from the Census 2021 and NHS Wales figures on this page.
Nelson grades D for health
Healthier than 12% of UK towns, on age-adjusted measures.
Behind the typical UK town on every measure. Even its strongest, disability and men’s years in good health, are in the bottom 15% of UK towns; Census bad health and women’s life expectancy are furthest behind. Among the 813 UK towns of 3,000 to 6,000 people, Nelson’s Health Grade is the 717th 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; the Census answers are counted against what England and Wales’s rates by single year of age would give a town with these ages, so a seaside town of retired people isn’t marked down for being old.
Welsh towns’ Health Grades use ONS’s small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for 2019 to 2023, and two Census 2021 measures, bad health and disability, adjusted for age. English towns’ also use OHID’s small-area early deaths, hospital admissions and child obesity, which OHID publishes for England only.
Fewer people in Nelson call their health good than across Gwent
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Nelson’s residents are older than Gwent’s (26% are 65 or over, against 20%), which accounts for much of the difference. Adjusted for age, 143 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Nelson | Gwent | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 77% | 78% |
| Fair health | 18% | 15% | 15% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.9% | 7.7% | 7.1% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 25% | 22% | 22% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 12% | 11% | 11% |
Gwent and Wales: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
Care in and near Nelson
The nearest A&E, GP practices, and where to go when it’s urgent but not an emergency. In an emergency, call 999.
| Distance | Hospital |
|---|---|
| 2.5 mi | Homeward Bound Unit Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr Hengoed |
| 2.6 mi | Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr Hengoed |
| 3.8 mi | Pontypridd & District Hospital Pontypridd |
| 4.4 mi | Dewi Sant Hospital Pontypridd |
| 5.1 mi | Ysbyty Cwm Cynon Mountain Ash |
| 7 mi | Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda Tonypandy |
| 8.3 mi | Forglen Day Hospital Newport |
| 8.4 mi | The Royal Glamorgan Hospital A&E Pontyclun |
NHS Wales hospital sites from the NHS Organisation Data Service (October 2026). “A&E” marks the 12 hospitals with a major emergency department; minor injury units aren’t listed. Healthcare Inspectorate Wales inspects Welsh hospitals but doesn’t publish ratings, so none are shown.
1 GP practice in Nelson
Nearest first.
| Practice | Distance |
|---|---|
| Nelson Surgery Treharris CF46 6HL | 0.2 mi |
GP practices in Wales from the NHS Organisation Data Service (October 2026), placed by postcode. Healthcare Inspectorate Wales doesn’t publish practice ratings. You can register with any practice whose area covers your address.
Nelson’s Health Grade is 717th of 813 UK towns of 3,000 to 6,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Nelson, and others in Gwent. Bad health per 100 expected for each town’s ages.
| # | Town | People | Bad health | Health | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marlow Bottom Buckinghamshire | 3,339 | 36 | A+ | |
| 2 | Brookmans Park Hertfordshire | 4,033 | 37 | A+ | |
| 3 | Pangbourne Berkshire | 3,279 | 47 | A+ | |
| … | |||||
| 183 | Undy and Magor Gwent | 5,742 | 71 | A− | |
| … | |||||
| 699 | Abercarn Gwent | 5,123 | 143 | D | |
| … | |||||
| 715 | Glanaman Dyfed | 3,866 | 160 | D | |
| 716 | Brampton South Yorkshire | 4,620 | 139 | D | |
| 717 | Nelson Gwent | 4,235 | 143 | D | |
| 718 | Tillicoultry Clackmannanshire | 4,482 | 116 | D | |
| 719 | Sutton on Sea and Trusthorpe Lincolnshire | 5,042 | 146 | D | |
| … | |||||
| 738 | Pen-pedair-heol Gwent | 3,787 | 136 | D | |
| … | |||||
| 813 | Ballingry Fife | 5,823 | 224 | 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 Nelson
Bad health per 100 expected for each place’s ages, and the nearest A&E. Tap a town for its health page.
| Town | People | Bad health | Nearest A&E | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson | 4,235 | 143 | 8.4 mi | D |
| Trelewis | 2,022 | 182 | 7.7 mi | D |
| Treharris | 5,042 | 148 | 7.7 mi | D |
| Gelligaer | 1,436 | 321 | 8.9 mi | D− |
| Abercynon | 6,376 | 169 | 7.7 mi | D− |
| Pen-pedair-heol | 3,787 | 136 | 9.1 mi | D |
| Ystrad Mynach | 11,856 | 160 | 9.8 mi | D |
| Tir-y-berth and Glan-y-nant | 1,411 | 205 | 9.5 mi | D |
What this data can and can’t tell you
- 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. The Census measures are counted for the town’s own output areas.
- Different years. The Census was taken in March 2021. NHS sites are as listed by NHS Wales in October 2026.
- 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 Nelson
How healthy is Nelson?
Nelson earns a D for health, healthier than 12% of UK towns on measures adjusted for age, and 717th of 813 UK towns of its size. Life expectancy is 77.0 for men and 80.7 for women (ONS, 2019 to 2023; Wales 78.1 and 81.9). For Welsh towns the grade uses life expectancy, healthy life expectancy and two Census 2021 measures: 143 residents in bad health and 126 disabled for every 100 expected for the town’s ages. OHID’s early-death, admissions and child-obesity figures cover England only.
Where is the nearest A&E to Nelson?
The Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Pontyclun, about 8.4 mi from the town centre in a straight line. In an emergency call 999; for urgent advice call NHS 111.
How many GP practices are there in Nelson?
Nelson has 1 GP practice with surgeries inside the town.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026.
Sources: ONS health state life expectancy for small areas (MSOAs), England and Wales, 2019 to 2023 (life expectancy and healthy life expectancy) · ONS Census 2021 general health and disability, adjusted for age by TownRatings (observed ÷ expected at England and Wales rates) · NHS Organisation Data Service (GP practices and NHS Wales sites, October 2026) · ONS Postcode Directory · 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.