Mortality rate in hospitals falls 4%

The mortality rate at Scotland’s hospitals has fallen by 4.5% over the past two years.

Official statistics show the drop was achieved between January to March 2014 and the same period this year.

The Scottish Government said the decrease equated to 3,000 fewer deaths than predicted during the period.

Two hospitals, Belford Hospital, Fort William, and the Royal Alexandra/Vale of Leven, had significantly higher mortality than the national average in the period January to March 2016, while another two, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, and Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, were significantly lower.

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme was set up with the aim of reducing hospital mortality rates by 20% by the end of 2015, a target that was missed by 3.5%.

A new target has now been set to cut mortality rates by a further 10% by December 2018, when compared to the first quarter of 2014.