Grim toll of country’s worst year on record

SCOTLAND has suffered its deadliest year in more than three decades because of the toll of coronavirus and the wider impact of the pandemic.

A total of 64,814 people died last year, more than in any other since National Records of Scotland (NRS) began compiling the figures in 1990.

The NRS data reveals the figure is nearly 7,000 higher than the annual average of the past five years. It suggests that lockdown restrictions may have been responsible for hundreds of deaths, in addition to the 6,690 officially linked to Covid-19.

Concerns were also raised about separate figures which revealed that the total number of deaths at home rocketed by nearly 5,000, while the number of deaths in hospital went down.

The big rise in deaths at home included a large jump in those linked to cancer, heart disease or strokes. It led to fears people have died after failing to get treatment for conditions because they were told to stay at home and protect the NHS.

Adam Stachura, Age Scotland’s head of policy, said: ‘While 2020 was a year unlike any other, the 40 per cent increase in excess deaths at home is cause for concern.

‘The unintended consequences of so many months staying at home and the disruption to medical services early in the pandemic may have meant that people went undiagnosed or treated later than hoped.

‘Of these excess deaths at home, there were around 1,000 more from heart disease and strokes than the average and 1,800 from cancer.

‘We know there were concerning levels of excess deaths in the three months since the first national lockdown from people living with dementia, increasing by nearly a quarter, and similar for diabetes.

‘As health services have valiantly adapted throughout the past year and priorities ebbed and flowed depending on Covid infection levels, the questions we must get to the bottom of are how many deaths may have been prevented in normal times and how has the disruption to services impacted this.’

The 64,814 deaths last year was 12.5 per cent higher than 58,503 in 2019. It compares with an average of 57,831 over the past five years.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there were 16,977 people who died at home, compared with an average of 12,038 over the past five years. But the number dying in hospital fell from an average of 21,970 over the past five years to 21,396 in 2020.

Among the deaths at home, those dying of cancer increased by 1,855 compared with the five-year average, while those dying of heart disease or stroke increased by 1,098.

Scottish Labour health spokesman Monica Lennon said: ‘These worrying figures demonstrate the huge impact Covid-19 has had on wider NHS services.

‘We shouldn’t be in the position where the NHS can only respond to Covid-19 and little else. The Scottish Government needs to address the growing backlog of operations and patients experiencing treatment delays by ensuring other services can continue.’

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘It is alarming to see there were a record number of deaths last year. As we continue the vaccine rollout, SNP ministers must guarantee that resources will be available to carry out treatment.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We’ve announced additional funding for health and social care services to help ensure we can continue to deliver high quality support to those who need it.’

‘Growing backlog of operations’