The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Winter death rate worst on mainland
Tayside has the highest winter mortality rate in mainland Scotland, according to official figures.
There were 340 extra deaths in the area during the 2016-17 season compared with other times of the year.
NHS chiefs in Tayside warned the data was provisional and said they would review it “once it is verified”. Across Tayside and Fife, the figures showed a winter excess of 500 deaths.
The figures for Dundee, Perth and Kinross and Angus were the worst on the mainland, with an increased winter mortality index of 23. The national average is 15, compared with 12 in Fife.
Alex Rowley, Scottish Labour interim leader and a Fife MSP, said: “This is the reality of council budgets being slashed and the health service not receiving the support it needs.”
Fuel poverty is seen as a major factor in the increase in deaths over winter.
Scottish Conservative housing spokesman Graham Simpson said the Tories has committed to £1 billion extra by 2021 to tackle the issue. “Making homes warmer right across the country, particularly in areas of fuel poverty, has to be one of the priorities,” he added.
There were 20,930 deaths registered in the period December 2016 to March 2017, up from the 20,509 recorded the previous year. Tayside and Fife saw its winter fatality toll rise from 470 to 500, driven by the second-highest figures in Tayside since records began in 2007-08.
The data was published yesterday by the National Records of Scotland, an arm of the Scottish Government.
Tim Ellis, the NRS chief executive, said: “There are always more deaths in the winter in Scotland than in any other season, but the long-term trend since the early 1950s has clearly been downward.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “All hospital deaths are reviewed and no concerning trends have been identified. The board continues to see a hospital mortality rate that in is line with national expectations.”
She said the forthcoming winter plan would be published shortly.
“People who are over 65, pregnant or have a health condition, as well as NHS Tayside staff, are also urged to take up the offer of free flu vaccination from their GP. This is the best way to protect themselves and others from the effects of flu.”