Population & Deprivation: Ageing population; areas of significant deprivation.
Health Outcomes: Life expectancy overall close to England average but large inequalities between MSOAs.
Behavioural Risks: High drinking and obesity rates; child health indicators poor in some of the most deprived areas.
Disease Burden: Relatively average LTC prevalence overall; high burden in most deprived areas, and ageing trend will further increase demand.
Wider Determinants: Low economic activity; high benefit dependency; relatively high proportion social housing.
There is no single definition of a neighbourhood in the NHS and local authority planning context.
Neighbourhoods can be understood in several ways: Administrative or statistical boundaries such as wards, parishes, or Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs), which provide stable geographies for data analysis.
Economic centres like market towns or main urban areas, reflecting where people live, work, and access services.
Functional service areas, for example, GP practice or NHS trust catchments, which align with how health and care services are delivered.
Collaborative structures such as Primary Care Networks (PCNs) or integrated care partnerships, which represent groups of organisations working together to serve a defined population.
These neighbourhood profiles draw on recorded data for these areas - whether by GP practice population, PCN, or statistical geography - to provide a shared evidence base for planning, resource allocation, and addressing health inequalities.
The Gorleston neighbourhood area is characterised by predominantly urban areas, some of which with significant deprivation.
The population’s age distribution is similar to the Norfolk & Waveney average. Socioeconomic deprivation is considerable and varies greatly between small areas.
17.7% of the population of Gorleston live in small areas that are among the 20% most deprived areas in England (Core20 areas). Across Norfolk and Waveney, 14.4% live in Core20 areas.
Small areas (MSOAs) with the highest proportions of non-White residents in Gorleston include Gorleston West (7.8%) and Gorleston South & Beach (7.1%).
In Gorleston, 26.7% of children aged 0-19 live in low-income families, compared to 22.8% across Norfolk and Waveney and 22.2% across England. 39.4% of children aged 0 to 15 in Gorleston are estimated to live in poverty according to the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI). In England overall, this is 36.25%. In Gorleston, 31.1% of pupils from Reception to Year 13 are eligible for free school meals. This is significantly higher than across all schools in Norfolk, where 23.4% of pupils are eligible.
Economically Active Definition: Aged between 16-64 and either in employment, unemployed but looking for work and could start within two weeks of an offer, or unemployed but waiting to start a job that has been offered and accepted.
During the 2021 Census, the proportion of residents (aged 16-64) who were economically active within the Norfolk and Waveney neighbourhoods was generally lower than both the East of England (61.8% economically active) and England average (60.9% economically active).Within the Gorleston neighbourhood 54.9% of working-age residents were classified as economically active, while 45.1% were economically inactive. These proportions position the area towards the mid-to-lower end of economic activity compared with other neighbourhoods, and below both the regional and national averages.
Levels of economic activity reported across MSOAs within the Gorleston neighbourhood in the 2021 Census were consistently below the East of England (61.8% active) and the national average for England (60.9% active).
Within the neighbourhood, Gorleston West recorded the lowest proportion of economically active residents aged 16-64 at 53.4%, indicating high levels of economic inactivity among the working-age population.
In contrast, Bradwell South and Hopton recorded the highest proportion of economically active residents (56.5%) among MSOAs within the neighbourhood, though remained below national and regional benchmarks.
Occupation, as recorded in the 2021 Census, is derived from an individual’s main job title and the activities associated with that role. Values are based on the proportion of usual residents aged 16 and over in employment. In the Gorleston neighbourhood, professional occupations represented the largest occupational group, with 14.5% of usual residents aged 16 years and over in employment engaged in these roles. Although professional roles were the most common within the local area, their prevalence remained below both the Norfolk and England averages, indicating that Gorleston has a comparatively smaller professional workforce despite this being its dominant occupational category. In addition, the proportions of residents employed in Skilled Trades and Elementary occupations exceeded the averages for Norfolk and/or England, highlighting a relatively high presence of practical, manual, and operational roles within the local labour market. In contrast, employment in Managerial and Associate Professional occupations was consistently below the Norfolk and England averages. This suggests a relatively low concentration of individuals engaged in leadership, decision-making, and mid-level technical specialist roles within the neighbourhood, compared with county and national patterns.
Universal Credit is a monthly payment from the government to help with living costs for individuals on a low income or out of work. Eligible individuals must be between 18 and 66 years of age and have less than £16,000 in money, saving and investments.
The Graph shows the proportion of the population (aged 18-66) claiming Universal Credit across different neighbourhoods in Norfolk during August 2025. The proportion of residents claiming Universal Credit varies significantly across neighbourhoods. Gorleston had a significantly higher proportion of individual claimants (22.9%) than 17 of the 19 other neighbourhoods during August 2025. In addition, the proportion of claimants was significantly higher than both the East of England (16.3%) and England (18%) averages. This suggests that Gorleston may experience comparatively higher levels of financial vulnerability or reliance on welfare support than seen regionally or nationally.
In August 2025, the proportion of residents (aged 18 to 66) claiming Universal Credit varied significantly across MSOAs within the Gorleston neighbourhood (ranging from 14.1%-34.2%).
Gorleston North recorded the highest proportion of claimants at 34.2%, significantly more claimants than four of the other five MSOA within the neighbourhood. This figure was also significantly higher than the East of England (16.3%) average and the England average (18%).
Bradwell North reported the lowest proportion of claimants at 14.1%, significantly fewer claimants compared to four of the other five MSOAs within the area and both the East of England and England average.
Personal Independence Payments (PIP) entitlement statistics covers individuals currently receiving PIP and those whose payments are temporarily suspended (e.g., during a hospital stay).To be eligible for PIP an individual needs to be between 16-66 and have a long-term condition which makes everyday tasks or mobility difficult. PIP provides support through two components: daily living (help with everyday activities) and mobility (help with getting around). In June 2025, Gorleston had a significantly higher proportion of individuals entitled to PIP (14%) than 17 of the other 19 neighbourhoods. Entitlement was also significantly higher than the East of England (8%) and England average (8.7%) indicating significantly higher levels of PIP entitlement in this area compared with regional and national averages figures. In June 2025, the proportion of residents aged 16 to 66 entitled to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) across MSOAs within the Gorleston neighbourhood varied significantly. Gorleston North recorded the highest entitlement rate at 18.8%, significantly higher than four of the remaining five MSOAs within the neighbourhood. Bradwell North recorded the lowest PIP entitlement rate at 10.3%, significantly below three of the remaining five MSOAs within the neighbourhood. All MSOAs with the Gorleston neighbourhood reported PIP entitlement rates significantly higher than the East of England (8%) and the England (8.7%) average, suggesting higher levels of entitlement within each MSOA compared to both regional and national benchmarks.
Compared to England, Gorleston has a higher proportion of homes owned outright (39.5% vs 32.5%) and a slightly lower proportion with a mortgage (27.6% vs 28.8%). Its combined social renting rate (council and housing association) is 16.4%,which is lower than the national average of 17.1%. The private renting rate (Landlord/rent free/other) at 16.3% is also lower than the England average (20.6%).Compared to the average across neighbourhoods, the Gorleston neighbourhood has a higher proportion of homes mortgaged or rented from social housing and a lower proportion of homes owned outright or privately rented.
Life expectancy is overall broadly in line with the England average but there are stark differences between small areas along variation in deprivation. Overall, premature and preventable mortality are only marginally higher than England, but there are small areas with significantly worse mortality outcomes compared to national benchmarks.
There is wide local variation alongside variation in deprivation - local areas show a difference of up to 6 years in male life expectancy and 5 years in female life expectancy.
Gorleston North and Gorleston West the lowest life expectancies.
Females live longer than males in all areas.
While the gap in life expectancy is narrowing slightly, inequalities persist. The leading causes of premature death - circulatory disease, respiratory and digestive conditions - are more prevalent in deprived MSOAs. Targeted prevention and improved access to care are essential.
Healthy life expectancy is generally lower in Gorleston compared to other areas in Norfolk. There is stark variation between the most and least deprived small areas. Within the Gorleston neighbourhood area, female healthy life expectancy was lowest in Gorleston West and highest in Bradwell North in 2021. Male healthy life expectancy was lowest in Gorleston North and highest in Bradwell North in 2021.
There were 836 deaths of people under the age of 75 in Gorleston in 2019 - 23. Overall, the rate of premature mortality was 8% higher than the England average.
Locally, the highest rate of premature mortality was in Gorleston North (Standardised Mortality Ratio = 153). The lowest rate was in Bradwell North. Gorleston North and Gorelston West had a significantly worse premature mortality rate than the England average .
In 2019 - 23, 368 deaths of people under the age of 75 in Gorleston were from causes considered preventable. Overall, there was a 3% higher rate of preventable mortality compared to the national average.
Locally, the highest rate of preventable mortality was in Gorleston North (Standardised Mortality Ratio = 156.4). The lowest rate was in Bradwell North, which had a significantly better preventable mortality rate than the England average.
Obesity and alcohol-related risks are generally much higher for the Great Yarmouth Borough Council area than for the Norfolk and England averages. Smoking prevalence overall is similar.
Childhood overweight prevalence in Reception is high, and rates of emergency hospital admissions are significantly elevated for some local areas.
The burden of long-term conditions is overall close to the Norfolk and Waveney average, but there is marked variation between local areas alongside deprivation. Cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions and harmful behaviours remain priorities for prevention and management.
This chart shows the estimated number of patients with major long-term conditions within the Gorleston PCN. Diabetes affects around 3,700 adults, and chronic kidney disease affects 2,100 people.
Stroke and transient ischaemic attack affect approximately 1,100 people. These figures highlight a significant burden of metabolic and cardiovascular disease, reinforcing the need for integrated prevention and management strategies.
Age-standardised unplanned hospital admission rates in the Gorleston neighbourhood area are generally higher than those seen other areas.
Rates for children and young people are particularly high.