Photo: Chris Whippet · CC BY-SA 2.0Lives in Sheerness run shorter than in 98% of UK towns: 73.2 for men and 78.8 for women
Across England the figures for 2019 to 2023 are 79.1 and 83.0. Sheerness grades D− for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, early deaths, hospital admissions, child obesity and Census health, each adjusted for age.
What stands out about health in Sheerness
Patients rate Sheerness’ GP practices below England’s
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 70% of patients at Sheerness’ 5 practices called their overall experience good, against 77% across England, and 42% found it easy to get through by phone (57% in England). That is behind 83% of English towns. GP practices ↓
More of Sheerness’ children are obese
28% 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 96% 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.
Sheerness grades D− for health
Behind almost every UK town, on age-adjusted measures.
Behind the typical UK town on every measure. Even its strongest, emergency admissions and child obesity, are in the bottom 10% of UK towns; women’s years in good health and deaths under 75 are furthest behind.
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.
70% of patients rate Sheerness’ 5 GP practices good
GP Patient Survey 2026 (NHS England, run by Ipsos), about 100 patients a practice, against 77% across England. 270th of 321 English towns of 9,000 to 18,000, from the highest.
| Practice | Overall experience | Easy by phone | Wait about right | CQC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheerness Health Centre ME12 1UP · 7,638 adult patients | 89% good · range 81%–94% | 85% | 82% | Good2017 |
| Sheppey Healthy Living Centre ME12 1HH · 11,337 adult patients | 72% good · range 56%–83% | 32% | 71% | Good2017 |
| The OM Medical Centre ME12 1UA · 5,614 adult patients | 65% good · range 58%–72% | 51% | 70% | Good2019 |
| Dr U Ota & Partners ME12 1QU · 8,787 adult patients | 63% good · range 50%–74% | 22% | 67% | Good2021 |
| Sheerness Health Centre ME12 1UP · 5,298 adult patients | 58% good · range 50%–66% | 28% | 75% | Requires improvement2023 |
Sheerness Health Centre has the town’s highest rating (89%). 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 Sheerness 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 Sheerness is 0.5 years above 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.
52% of Sheerness’ residents are income-deprived, more than in most English towns. For that level, the line predicts 72.7 years for men; Sheerness’ is 73.2. For women it predicts 77.6, and Sheerness’ 78.8 is 1.2 years above.
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 Sheerness
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.
Mid and South Essex saw 63% 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: Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust runs the A&E at Southend University Hospital, the nearest to Sheerness (8.8 mi).
The share seen within four hours slipped from an average of 70% in April 2025 to September 2025 to 65% in the latest six months; England’s was 62%. Long waits for a bed are close to the typical trust’s: 12,053 patients in 12 months, 11% of emergency admissions through A&E. CQC’s latest ratings for Southend University Hospital: urgent and emergency services no approved rating (2025), the hospital overall requires improvement (2025).
East of England trusts
Hospitals within 25 miles
| Distance | Hospital | CQC overall | Urgent & emergency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9 mi | Sheppey Community Hospital Sheerness · Medway NHS Foundation Trust | Not rated | — |
| 8.8 mi | Southend University Hospital A&E Westcliff On Sea · Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2025 | Not rated |
| 10 mi | Medway Maritime Hospital A&E Gillingham · Medway NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2025 | Requires improvement2025 |
| 16 mi | Basildon University Hospital A&E Basildon · Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust | Inadequate2025 | Inadequate2025 |
| 16 mi | Maidstone Hospital A&E Maidstone · Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust | Requires improvement2024 | Requires improvement2018 |
| 17 mi | Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital Herne Bay · Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust | Not rated | — |
| 18 mi | Orsett Hospital Grays · Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust | Not rated | — |
| 18 mi | Kent & Canterbury Hospital Canterbury · East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust | Requires improvement2021 | — |
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.
84% of adults in the Kent and Medway 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 Sheerness).
Across England 82% of those who tried got an appointment. Of Kent and Medway patients who did, 75% 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.
Fewer people in Sheerness call their health good than across Kent
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Sheerness’ residents are younger than Kent’s (13% are 65 or over, against 19%), which accounts for much of the difference. Adjusted for age, 189 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Sheerness | Kent | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 74% | 82% | 82% |
| Fair health | 17% | 13% | 13% |
| Bad or very bad health | 8.3% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 25% | 18% | 17% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 12% | 7.4% | 7.4% |
Kent and England: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
How Sheerness compares with UK towns of 9,000 to 18,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Sheerness, and others in Kent. Life expectancy for men / women; deaths under 75 per 100 expected.
| # | Town | People | Life expectancy | Deaths under 75 | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esher Surrey | 9,484 | 83.1 / 85.9 | 59 | A+ |
| 2 | Hale Greater Manchester | 16,716 | 83.3 / 86.4 | 58 | A+ |
| 3 | Amersham Buckinghamshire | 17,377 | 83.1 / 86.5 | 60 | A+ |
| … | |||||
| 6 | Kings Hill Kent | 9,963 | 83.4 / 87.9 | 61 | A+ |
| … | |||||
| 105 | Longfield, New Ash Green and Hartley Kent | 16,077 | 81.3 / 84.0 | 78 | B |
| … | |||||
| 157 | Southborough Kent | 9,632 | 80.2 / 84.3 | 87 | B− |
| … | |||||
| 474 | Ardrossan North Ayrshire | 10,338 | 74.0 / 78.5 | — | D− |
| 475 | Saltcoats North Ayrshire | 12,171 | 73.5 / 78.7 | — | D− |
| 476 | Sheerness Kent | 13,253 | 73.2 / 78.8 | 181 | D− |
| 477 | Blantyre South Lanarkshire | 16,534 | 73.3 / 78.2 | — | D− |
| 478 | Methil Fife | 10,712 | 71.6 / 77.0 | — | 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 Sheerness
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheerness | 13,253 | 73.2 / 78.8 | 8.8 mi | D− |
| Halfway Houses | 4,396 | 79.4 / 82.1 | 9.8 mi | C |
| Queenborough | 3,915 | 78.2 / 81.5 | 9.3 mi | C− |
| Minster (Swale) | 16,735 | 78.4 / 82.2 | 11 mi | C− |
| Grain | 1,728 | 75.6 / 83.6 | 6.9 mi | D |
| Iwade | 4,533 | 78.9 / 80.5 | 8 mi | C+ |
| Eastchurch | 3,381 | 74.3 / 80.8 | 13 mi | D− |
| Allhallows | 1,684 | 75.6 / 83.6 | 6.1 mi | C− |
Halfway Houses, 1 miles away, has men’s life expectancy of 79.4, 6.2 years longer than Sheerness’.
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 Mid and South Essex 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 Sheerness.
- 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 Sheerness
How healthy is Sheerness?
Sheerness earns a D− for health, behind almost every UK town on measures adjusted for age. Life expectancy is 73.2 for men and 78.8 for women (England 79.1 and 83.0), and there are 181 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected.
How long are A&E waits at Southend University Hospital?
NHS England publishes waits for the trust, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. In the 12 months to September 2026 it saw 63% of major-A&E patients within four hours, against 61% across England; in September 2026 the figure was 62%. In an emergency call 999; for urgent advice call NHS 111.
Can I get an NHS dentist in Sheerness?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 84% of adults in the Kent and Medway 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 Sheerness do patients rate highest?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, Sheerness Health Centre (89% good overall), Sheppey Healthy Living Centre (72% good overall) and The OM Medical Centre (65% good overall). Across all 5 Sheerness practices, 70% of patients rate their practice good, against 77% in England.
What is the life expectancy in Sheerness?
73.2 years for men and 78.8 for women, on OHID’s figures for 2019 to 2023. Men can expect 54.2 of those years and women 55.2 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.