The North East has had some of the highest levels of poor health in the country, much of which stems from its industrial heritage. However, this is changing due to systematic, innovative approaches, strong partnership working and sustained investment.

In the past ten years, the rate of premature deaths in Durham has fallen by more than a third and teenage conceptions have more than halved. Meanwhile smoking levels significantly reduced - down from 22% to 14.3% between 2012 and 2017.