Photo: Stefan Czapski · CC BY-SA 2.0Across Tower Hamlets, life expectancy spans 14 years from one area to another
Inside the borough, men’s life expectancy runs from 72.4 in Whitechapel to 86.7 in Tower Hill & Wapping South, 0.8 miles apart. Life expectancy is 77.7 for men and 81.7 for women. For 2019 to 2023, England’s figures are 79.1 and 83.0. Tower Hamlets grades C− for health: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, early deaths, hospital admissions, child obesity and Census health, each adjusted for age; #31 of 33 in London.
What stands out about health in Tower Hamlets
A 14-year gap from one part of Tower Hamlets to another
Men in Tower Hill & Wapping South can expect to live to 86.7, longer than the English average of 79.1. In Whitechapel, 0.8 miles away, the figure is 72.4, and Poplar Central records 161 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected for its ages. For women the range is 78.7 in Bethnal Green North East to 87.0 in Spitalfields. Neighbourhoods ↓
Patients rate Tower Hamlets’ GP practices below England’s
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 62% of patients at Tower Hamlets’ 31 practices called their overall experience good, against 77% across England, and 46% found it easy to get through by phone (57% in England). That is behind 96% of English towns. GP practices ↓
More of Tower Hamlets’ 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 95% of UK towns. Health Grade ↓
Men live longer lives than Tower Hamlets’ level of deprivation would suggest
40% of Tower Hamlets’ residents are income-deprived. Across England’s towns that predicts men’s life expectancy of 75.1; Tower Hamlets’ is 77.7. For its circumstances ↓
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.
Tower Hamlets grades C− for health
Healthier than 18% of UK towns, on age-adjusted measures.
What holds the grade back: women’s years in good health and child obesity (better than 3% and 5% of UK towns). What lifts it: disability (51%) and emergency admissions (39%). Among the 40 UK towns of 218,000 to 420,000 people, Tower Hamlets’ Health Grade is the 25th 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 Tower Hamlets runs from 72.4 to 86.7
Life expectancy at birth, 2019–23, in Tower Hamlets’ 27 middle-layer neighbourhoods (about 8,000 people each). Circles are sized by residents and show men’s life expectancy.
The gap follows deprivation closely: Shadwell North, where 58% of residents are income-deprived, has men’s life expectancy of 79.7. Poplar Central has the most deaths under 75 for its ages (161 per 100 expected), against 61 in Tower Hill & Wapping South.
Show every measure as a table
| Neighbourhood | Men | Women | Deaths under 75 | Emergency admissions | Year 6 obese | Income-deprived |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Hill & Wapping South | 86.7 | 84.1 | 61 | 61 | 13% | 13% |
| Bow West | 83.1 | 84.7 | 75 | 86 | 22% | 28% |
| Mudchute | 82.3 | 83.4 | 105 | 93 | 26% | 38% |
| Aldgate | 80.7 | 86.6 | 75 | 71 | 32% | 34% |
| Millwall South | 80.5 | 82.9 | 87 | 72 | 20% | 26% |
| Shadwell North | 79.7 | 81.1 | 107 | 113 | 26% | 58% |
| Canary Wharf | 79.0 | 81.5 | 93 | 52 | 26% | 19% |
| Millwall North | 79.0 | — | 92 | 78 | 25% | 32% |
| Bromley-by-Bow East | 78.1 | 82.0 | 108 | 102 | 26% | 52% |
| Limehouse East | 77.8 | 81.1 | 100 | 81 | 27% | 34% |
| Shadwell Basin & Ratcliffe | 77.7 | 82.2 | 111 | 77 | 29% | 41% |
| Cubitt Town | 77.4 | 79.5 | 108 | — | 29% | 31% |
| Bethnal Green East | 77.1 | 80.8 | 113 | 97 | 30% | 45% |
| Bromley-by-Bow West | 77.0 | 81.4 | 100 | 98 | 27% | 50% |
| Bethnal Green North East | 76.9 | 78.7 | 123 | 113 | 30% | 46% |
| Mile End West | 76.8 | 82.3 | 83 | 79 | 28% | 38% |
| Bow North & Fish Island | 76.6 | 83.5 | 116 | 107 | 32% | 40% |
| Limehouse North & Stepney East | 76.6 | 82.1 | 113 | 110 | 32% | 47% |
| Columbia Road | 76.4 | 83.1 | 109 | 93 | 24% | 40% |
| Bethnal Green South | 76.4 | — | 106 | 98 | 26% | 47% |
| Spitalfields | 76.2 | 87.0 | 120 | 97 | 33% | 38% |
| Bow South | 76.1 | 79.4 | 106 | 83 | 27% | 33% |
| Stepney Green | 75.9 | 80.0 | 139 | 110 | 30% | 52% |
| Brick Lane North | 74.7 | 81.9 | 121 | 88 | 26% | 44% |
| Mile End East & Burdett Estate | 74.4 | 79.4 | 120 | 95 | 30% | 45% |
| Poplar Central | 74.0 | 80.4 | 161 | 113 | 26% | 55% |
| Whitechapel | 72.4 | 80.7 | 141 | 104 | 30% | 51% |
Deaths and admissions per 100 expected for each area’s ages (England = 100). Each figure has a range: Whitechapel’s men’s life expectancy is 72.4 with a 95% range of 69.7 to 75.2. Neighbourhoods are ONS middle-layer areas at least 30% inside Tower Hamlets; names are the House of Commons Library’s.
62% of patients rate Tower Hamlets’ 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Sarit Patel E1W 1UA · 2,097 adult patients | 91% good · range 89%–92% | 81% | 92% | Good2019 |
| Spitalfields Medical Centre - Health E1 E1 6PU · 1,070 adult patients | 82% good · range 80%–84% | 90% | 84% | Good2016 |
| The Blithehale Medical Centre E2 6JA · 11,512 adult patients | 78% good · range 61%–89% | 58% | 60% | Good2016 |
| Aberfeldy Practice, Aberfeldy Health & Wellbeing Centre E14 0XA · 11,473 adult patients | 77% good · range 59%–89% | 70% | 80% | Good2016 |
| Strouts Place Medical Centre E2 7QU · 8,438 adult patients | 76% good · range 59%–88% | 70% | 90% | Good2017 |
| Docklands Medical Centre E14 9WU · 9,036 adult patients | 75% good · range 58%–87% | 66% | 63% | Good2019 |
| Island Medical Centre E14 3PG · 13,388 adult patients | 74% good · range 55%–87% | 68% | 62% | Good2025 |
| Tredegar Practice E3 5JD · 4,992 adult patients | 74% good · range 68%–79% | 74% | 63% | Good2026 |
| The Grove Road Surgery E3 5TW · 3,309 adult patients | 73% good · range 66%–79% | 70% | 55% | Good2017 |
| Jubilee Street Practice E1 0LS · 12,940 adult patients | 71% good · range 47%–87% | 50% | 52% | Outstanding2026 |
| Bethnal Green Health Centre E2 6LL · 8,156 adult patients | 70% good · range 55%–82% | 41% | 66% | Requires improvement2026 |
| Chrisp Street Practice E14 6PG · 11,424 adult patients | 69% good · range 53%–82% | 65% | 54% | Good2016 |
| The Wapping Group Practice E1W 2RL · 9,457 adult patients | 69% good · range 57%–78% | 67% | 63% | Good2018 |
| Wellington Way Health Centre E3 4NE · 10,391 adult patients | 67% good · range 49%–81% | 53% | 50% | Good2024 |
| Harley Grove Medical Centre E3 2AT · 6,691 adult patients | 66% good · range 55%–76% | 51% | 64% | Good2019 |
| Ruston Street Clinic E3 2LR · 3,134 adult patients | 65% good · range 59%–70% | 62% | 44% | Good2016 |
| St Stephens Health Centre E3 5ED · 10,536 adult patients | 64% good · range 43%–81% | 38% | 64% | Good2022 |
| Limehouse Practice E14 8HQ · 9,961 adult patients | 62% good · range 50%–73% | 50% | 42% | Good2016 |
| Mission Medical Practice E2 9LS · 9,593 adult patients | 62% good · range 42%–78% | 35% | 55% | Good2016 |
| Suttons Wharf Health Centre E2 0FA · 16,390 adult patients | 61% good · range 33%–84% | 49% | 56% | Requires improvement2024 |
| Albion Health Centre E1 1BU · 7,521 adult patients | 60% good · range 49%–70% | 31% | 56% | Requires improvement2025 |
| Harford Health Centre E1 4FG · 7,607 adult patients | 60% good · range 45%–73% | 38% | 51% | Good2020 |
| Goodmans Field Medical Practice E1 8ZF · 31,463 adult patients | 59% good · range 10%–95% | 37% | 52% | Not rated |
| City Square Medical Group E1 2QA · 9,095 adult patients | 59% good · range 42%–74% | 34% | 34% | Good2026 |
| XX Place Health Centre E1 4DG · 14,032 adult patients | 59% good · range 39%–76% | 43% | 52% | Good2023 |
| St Pauls Way E14 7LJ · 5,298 adult patients | 58% good · range 50%–66% | 28% | 75% | Not rated |
| Island Health E14 3BQ · 11,689 adult patients | 55% good · range 43%–67% | 30% | 52% | Good2025 |
| The Spitalfields Practice E1 5PB · 11,749 adult patients | 53% good · range 31%–73% | 40% | 39% | Good2026 |
| Gough Walk Practice E14 0EY · 9,438 adult patients | 49% good · range 33%–65% | 48% | 47% | Requires improvement2026 |
| Barkantine Practice E14 8JH · 22,135 adult patients | 46% good · range 16%–80% | 28% | 45% | Good2017 |
The 30 highest-rated of 31 practices shown.
Dr Sarit Patel has the borough’s highest rating (91%). Goodmans Field Medical Practice is by far the largest, with 31,463 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 Tower Hamlets 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 Tower Hamlets is 2.6 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.
40% of Tower Hamlets’ residents are income-deprived, more than in most English towns. For that level, the line predicts 75.1 years for men; Tower Hamlets’ is 77.7. For women it predicts 79.7, and Tower Hamlets’ 81.7 is 2.1 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 Tower Hamlets
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.
Barts Health saw 59% 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: Barts Health NHS Trust runs the A&E at The Royal London Hospital, the nearest to Tower Hamlets (0.9 mi).
The share seen within four hours rose from an average of 56% in April 2025 to September 2025 to 61% in the latest six months; England’s was 62%. Long waits for a bed are commoner than at 87% of trusts: 14,155 patients in 12 months, 28% of emergency admissions through A&E. CQC’s latest ratings for The Royal London Hospital: urgent and emergency services good (2019), the hospital overall requires improvement (2022).
London trusts
Hospitals within 25 miles
| Distance | Hospital | CQC overall | Urgent & emergency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9 mi | The Royal London Hospital A&E London · Barts Health NHS Trust | Requires improvement2022 | Good2019 |
| 2.3 mi | Guy's Hospital London · Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust | Good2026 | — |
| 2.3 mi | Moorfields Eye Hospital London · Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Outstanding2019 | — |
| 2.4 mi | Homerton University Hospital A&E London · Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | Outstanding2023 | Outstanding2018 |
| 2.7 mi | St Bartholomew's Hospital London · Barts Health NHS Trust | Good2017 | — |
| 3.2 mi | Newham University Hospital A&E London · Barts Health NHS Trust | Requires improvement2026 | Requires improvement2026 |
| 3.5 mi | Great Ormond Street Hospital London · Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust | Good2025 | — |
| 3.6 mi | The Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine London · University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation 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.
80% of adults in the North East London 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 Tower Hamlets).
Across England 82% of those who tried got an appointment. Of North East London patients who did, 71% 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.
85% of residents say their health is good or very good
Census 2021, all residents, as answered (not adjusted for age).
Tower Hamlets’ residents are younger than London’s (6% are 65 or over, against 12%), which accounts for much of the difference. Adjusted for age, 146 report bad health for every 100 expected, more than the national rate.
Show as a table
| Census 2021 | Tower Hamlets | London | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 85% | 82% |
| Fair health | 10% | 10% | 13% |
| Bad or very bad health | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled under the Equality Act | 13% | 13% | 17% |
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | 5.7% | 5.8% | 7.4% |
London and England: all residents of their built-up areas (towns and cities), from the same Census 2021 output areas.
Tower Hamlets’ Health Grade is 25th of 40 UK towns of 218,000 to 420,000
Ordered by Health Grade: the top three, the towns either side of Tower Hamlets, and others in London. 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 | Barnet London | 388,572 | 81.4 / 85.4 | 77 | B |
| 3 | Harrow London | 260,534 | 80.9 / 85.2 | 78 | B− |
| … | |||||
| 23 | Plymouth Devon | 266,970 | 78.7 / 82.5 | 111 | C− |
| 24 | Newham London | 351,065 | 77.6 / 82.2 | 114 | C− |
| 25 | Tower Hamlets London | 311,072 | 77.7 / 81.7 | 105 | C− |
| 26 | Luton Bedfordshire | 233,524 | 77.2 / 81.8 | 119 | C− |
| 27 | Hackney London | 258,464 | 76.9 / 82.1 | 115 | C− |
| … | |||||
| 40 | 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 Tower Hamlets
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Hamlets | 311,072 | 77.7 / 81.7 | 0.9 mi | C− |
| City of London | 7,820 | 84.1 / 87.1 | 1.5 mi | A+ |
| Hackney | 258,464 | 76.9 / 82.1 | 0.9 mi | C− |
| Southwark | 307,076 | 78.3 / 83.5 | 1.1 mi | C |
| Newham | 351,065 | 77.6 / 82.2 | 0.7 mi | C− |
| Islington | 216,309 | 78.1 / 82.8 | 1.7 mi | C− |
| Lewisham | 300,764 | 78.2 / 82.7 | 0.3 mi | C |
| Greenwich | 288,117 | 78.1 / 82.0 | 0.4 mi | C− |
City of London, 2.3 miles away, has men’s life expectancy of 84.1, 6.4 years longer than Tower Hamlets’.
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 Barts Health 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 Tower Hamlets.
- 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 Tower Hamlets
How healthy is Tower Hamlets?
Tower Hamlets earns a C− for health, healthier than 18% of UK towns on measures adjusted for age, and 25th of 40 UK towns of its size. Life expectancy is 77.7 for men and 81.7 for women (England 79.1 and 83.0), and there are 105 deaths under 75 for every 100 expected.
Which parts of Tower Hamlets have the highest life expectancy?
For men, Tower Hill & Wapping South (86.7), Bow West (83.1) and Mudchute (82.3); the shortest is Whitechapel (72.4). For women, Spitalfields is highest (87.0) and Bethnal Green North East lowest (78.7). OHID figures for 2019 to 2023, by neighbourhood of about 8,000 people.
How long are A&E waits at The Royal London Hospital?
NHS England publishes waits for the trust, Barts Health NHS Trust. In the 12 months to September 2026 it saw 59% of major-A&E patients within four hours, against 61% across England; in September 2026 the figure was 61%. In an emergency call 999; for urgent advice call NHS 111.
Can I get an NHS dentist in Tower Hamlets?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, 80% of adults in the North East London 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 Tower Hamlets do patients rate highest?
In the 2026 GP Patient Survey, Dr Sarit Patel (91% good overall), Spitalfields Medical Centre - Health E1 (82% good overall) and The Blithehale Medical Centre (78% good overall). Across all 31 Tower Hamlets practices, 62% of patients rate their practice good, against 77% in England.
What is the life expectancy in Tower Hamlets?
77.7 years for men and 81.7 for women, on OHID’s figures for 2019 to 2023. Men can expect 60.5 of those years and women 58.9 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.