Dr Rebecca Wagstaff of PHE says these conditions pose a real threat to the future sustainability of the health service. "When you look back to Victorian times, we worried about things like diphtheria and polio, and we've actually managed to conquer those now. "The new threats are things like diabetes and chronic bronchitis. They could overwhelm us." "They are illnesses for which there is no cure, and they cost the NHS more than 11bn each year. That's a phenomenal amount of money and more than that, it is taking years off people's lives."
Creating a healthy town The picture is particularly stark in areas of high unemployment and poverty.
Image caption Chris Murray values his time at the Willow Garden Project The Willow Garden Project is the type of scheme that it is hoped could help. A patch of waste ground has been transformed into a beautiful allotment and garden, full of fruit and vegetables. It is looked after by people with learning difficulties and brain injuries, including Chris Murray, who suffered a brain injury after a fall. He says at the Willow Garden Project he finds friendship and support "I meet some of my friends here and it's really beneficial to me. "It makes me feel good and I'd be lost without tending to this place on a Tuesday.
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"I don't know what I'd do with myself to be honest." Fleetwood is not alone - many towns and communities across the UK face similar problems. Over the coming months and years, the challenge will be transforming the health of the people of Fleetwood. But health experts say it is a challenge the entire country must face up to. Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-37451773
Illnesses associated with lifestyle cost the NHS 11bn - BBC News
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