Reduction in deaths before mortality rate

The number of people in North Lanarkshire who die before they reach the average mortality rate reduced slightly last year.

North Lanarkshire’s Health and Social Care’s annual performance draft report reveals that the premature mortality rate reduced from 517 in 2018 to 515 in 2019, per 100,000 people.

The report shows that progress has been made against a number of Scottish

Government national indicators.

The document was noted by the North Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) which delegated authority to Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire’s (HSCNL) chief officer to publish the report by the end of the month.

The IJB has responsibility for the planning and delivery of all community based adult health and social care services in North Lanarkshire.

The board also has strategic planning responsibilities in respect of panLanarkshire services relating to mental health and children’s health services.

It outlines an assessment of performance in planning and the resulting work carried out by HSCNL on behalf of the IJB.

Almost nine out of 10 people spent the final six months of their life at home or in a community setting – higher than the national average.

The proportion of care services in North Lanarkshire graded good, or better, by watchdog body the Care Inspectorate was also higher than average across the whole of Scotland.

And the percentage of adults with intensive care needs able to receive it at home rose from 70.7 per cent to almost three quarters (74.6 per cent) – well above the national average of 62.1 per cent.