Action call over level of winter deaths

HEALTH: Charities and health organisations have demanded action after figures showed excess winter deaths hit their highest level in more than 40 years last winter.

Office for National Statistics data shows there were an estimated 50,100 excess winter deaths in England and Wales in 2017/18.

CHARITIES AND health organisations have demanded action after figures showed excess winter deaths hit their highest level in more than 40 years last winter, with the elderly worst affected.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows there were an estimated 50,100 excess winter deaths in England and Wales in 2017/18 – the highest recorded since winter 1975/76.

The increase is thought to be down to the flu, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine and the particularly cold weather seen last winter.

More than a third (34.7 per cent) of the deaths were caused by respiratory diseases while mortality continued to be highest among females and people aged 85 and over.

The figures prompted Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), to call on energy minister Claire Perry to resign.

NPC general secretary Jan Shortt said: “Successive governments have simply ignored the problem of winter deaths amongst the older population and seem to have a policy of crossing their fingers and hoping things will improve.

“Today’s figures show that this policy simply doesn’t work – and things are now the worst they’ve been for over 40 years.

“It’s time someone took responsibility and that has to lie with the energy minister.”

She said older people are at the “mercy of poor housing, rising fuel costs, shrinking pensions and colder weather.”

Around 1.4m people in England are said to be at risk.

The data shows the number of daily deaths exceeded the fiveyear average for all dates except March 25.

The ONS said the increases could be explained partly by temperature, as colder weather was observed in December, February and March compared with the five-year average.

Specifically, central England daily temperatures show there was a particularly cold period between February 22 and March 3, which could account for the second peak in daily deaths.

The peak in January could also be a result of flu, which saw increased levels in the first weeks of January, reaching a peak in week three.

Statisticians said the high number of deaths among the over-85 age group may be due to the circulation of influenza A and influenza B, which predominantly affected older adults.

The number of excess winter deaths observed in 2017/18 was higher than all years since the 1975/76 winter period, when there were 58,100 deaths.

However, the increase was similar to peaks observed in previous years such as 2014/15, 1999/2000 and 1998/99.

Compared with recent years, excess winter deaths observed in 2017/18 were 45.1 per cent higher than the 2016/17 winter and more than double those seen in 2015/16.

The most recent peak was seen in 2014/15, although winter 2017/18 exceeded this by around 6,000 deaths.

Nick Stripe, of the ONS, said: “The number of excess winter deaths in England and Wales in 2017/18 was the highest recorded since the winter of 1975/76. However, peaks like these are not unusual – we have seen more than eight peaks during the last 40 years.”

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said a “toxic cocktail of poor housing, high energy prices and ill-health” can make winter a dangerous time for the elderly. She said: “A shocking 92 per cent of all excess deaths were amongst people aged 65 and over.”

Peaks are not unusual – we have seen eight in the last 40 years. Nick Stripe, of the Office for National Statistics.