Introduction
ISD Scotland publish a wide variety of health-related data including a range of information on mortality. This section of the website aims to provide easy access to all ISD-led publications which include deaths information, as well as identifying other sources of Scottish deaths data.
Deaths information is available for the following topics:
Alcohol Statistics Scotland
A biennial publication that presents the latest available information from a range of national data sources relating to alcohol. The four main sections are: the alcohol market; alcohol consumption; alcohol and health harm; and alcohol and social harm. The alcohol and health harm section includes data on alcohol-related deaths at Scotland, NHS Board and Local Authority levels. It also includes data from ScotPHO on the estimated number of deaths attributable to alcohol consumption in Scotland.
Latest publication
Contacts
Cancer
Information on cancer mortality is published for all cancers and also by specific cancer type. Annual and five year summary mortality data are available by age, sex, cancer network or NHS Board. Mortality for cancer patients aged under 75 years is also available by cancer network and NHS Board.
Latest publication
Cancer Statistics - All types of Cancer
(Statistics on specific cancers of interest can be accessed by clicking on the relevant link on the left hand side of this page.)
The cancer information programme publishes information regarding place of death from cancer. This report examines where cancer deaths occur in Scotland, taking into account demographic characteristics and can be used to assist the NHSScotland in defining the type and location of services needed to support cancer patients at the end of life.
Latest publication
Cancer Statistics - Place of Death
Contacts
nss.isdcancerstats@nhs.net
0131 275 7050
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
An annual publication that presents a range of information relating to heart disease including hospital activity, incidence, mortality, operations, prevalence, survival, deprivation and GP prescribing.
Heart disease is the second most common cause of death in Scotland where death rates are amongst the highest in Western Europe. In Scotland, almost a fifth of deaths are directly related to heart disease and the majority of those from coronary heart disease.
Latest publication
Coronary heart disease mortality is strongly related to deprivation. Mortality rates from CHD in the most deprived areas in Scotland are almost double those in the least deprived areas. For premature deaths, the inequality gap is even greater.
Latest publication
Contacts
Drug Misuse Statistics Scotland
An annual compilation of available information on drug misuse. Much of the information presented has been published previously within other publications. There are three main sections to the report: services and treatment for drug misusers; health impact of drug misuse; and criminal justice and social harm. The health impact of drug misuse section includes information on drug-related deaths in Scotland. The information will differ from the National Drug Related Deaths Database report as this publication includes individuals whose cause of death is intentional self-poisoning.
Latest publication
Contacts
Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios (HSMR)
The Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) are based on all acute inpatient and day case patients admitted to all specialties in hospital. The calculation takes account of patients who died within 30 days from admission, and includes deaths that occurred in the community as well as those occurring in-hospital.
Latest publication
Quarterly Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios publication
Contacts
Robyn Munro
0131 275 6967
Email:
robyn.munro@nhs.net
David Caldwell
0131 275 7421
Email: david.caldwell1@nhs.net
Lucinda Lawrie
0131 275 7929
Email: lucinda.lawrie1@nhs.net
National Drug Related Deaths Database (Scotland)
The National Drug Related Death Database (NDRDD) was established to collect in depth information on the nature and circumstances of individuals who have died a drug related death. This is supplementary to the routine national reporting of drug related deaths in Scotland by the National Records of Scotland (NRS), formerly the General Register Office of Scotland. Drawing from a wide range of data sources, the NDRDD provides a comprehensive picture of these deaths and sets them in a wider context such as the individual's social circumstances and their previous contact with health and criminal justice services.
Latest publication
Drugs & Alcohol Misuse homepage
Contacts
Drugs & Alcohol Misuse contacts
Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group (SICSAG)
The Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group has maintained a national database of patients admitted to adult general Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Scotland since 1995. High Dependency Unit (HDU) activity has been added to this in recent years. The aim of SICSAG is to improve the care of ICU AND HDU patients by systematic, comprehensive audit of their management and outcome.
Each year a report, entitled ‘The Audit of Critical Care in Scotland’, is published which looks at activity and outcomes of care in Scottish intensive care and high dependency units.
Home page
Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group (SICSAG)
Latest publication
Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group (SICSAG) publications
Contact
Scottish Perinatal & Infant Mortality & Morbidity Report (SPIMMR)
Annual reports on perinatal mortality in Scotland, including a classification according to the obstetric event leading to death, have been produced since 1977. Over time, the report has been expanded to include late fetal deaths (losses from 20 weeks gestation), late neonatal and post-neonatal infant deaths. Since 1987, a paediatric classification which summarises the clinico-pathological events in the fetus or baby has been included to complement the obstetric classification. In recent years, a commitment has been made to address morbidity as well as mortality within the annual report but as yet this only includes information on congenital anomalies. Since the beginning of 2008 the Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey has been conducted jointly by the Reproductive Health Programme of the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and ISD.
Home page
Scottish Perinatal & Infant Mortality & Morbidity Report (SPIMMR)
Latest publication
Scottish Perinatal & Infant Mortality & Morbidity Publications
Contacts
Scottish Renal Registry (SRR)
The Scottish Renal Registry is a national registry which collects and analyses data on patients who have been diagnosed with renal failure and other renal disorders in Scotland. Data has been collected since 1960, which is the year when regular and routine renal replacement therapy (RRT) for established renal disease (ESRD) started in Scotland. All renal units in Scotland fully participate in the data collection of the Registry.
An annual report is published looking at summary statistics for patients with end stage chronic renal disease; incidence of new patients starting renal replacement therapy, age and diagnosis; prevalence by modality of treatment and survival.
Home page
Latest publication
The Scottish Renal Registry publications
Contacts
Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA)
The Scottish Stroke Care Audit was established in 2002 and now includes all hospitals managing acute stroke in Scotland. SSCA is a national audit and is involved in checking the quality of stroke care delivered in these hospitals. An annual national report is published in June which presents performance of all hospitals in Scotland against the NHS QIS Standards for Stroke Care. It also presents other stroke related information and in particular provides information on what boards are doing to improve their performance against the NHS QIS standards and ultimately improve the delivery of stroke care to patients in their local areas.
Home page
Latest publication
Scottish Stroke Care Audit: 2011 National Report
Contacts
Stroke/Cerebrovascular Disease (CVD)
An annual publication that incorporates a wide range of information relating to stroke and cerebrovascular disease including hospital activity, incidence, mortality, operations, survival, deprivation and GP prescribing.
Stroke/CVD is a preventable disease which kills around 5,000 people in Scotland every year. Stroke mainly affects people over the age of 65 but can affect anyone and is the third most common cause of death in Scotland where death rates are amongst the highest in Western Europe.
Latest publication
There is a positive relationship between deprivation and mortality rates for stroke/CVD. The relationship is stronger in the under 65s where the Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR) is almost 4 times higher for the most deprived 10% of the population compared to the least deprived 10%.
Latest publication
Contacts
Unintentional Injuries
Unintentional injury is one of the main causes of death in children. The term "unintentional injury" is preferred to "accidents" as the latter implies events are inevitable and unavoidable whereas a high proportion of these incidents are now regarded as being preventable. Unintentional injuries can occur in any age group, but children and the elderly are more vulnerable.
The annual publication includes information on deaths and emergency hospital admissions by sex, NHS Board, deprivation, type of injury and cause of injury for both adults and children.
Latest publication
Unintentional Injuries publication
Contacts
Other sources of deaths information
The National Records of Scotland (NRS), previously General Register Office for Scotland (GROS), are responsible for the registration of births, marriages, civil partnerships, deaths, divorces, and adoptions in Scotland.
NRS publish a wide range of death-related statistics, including information on deaths from specific causes, winter mortality and time series data. Details of the deaths information available from NRS can be found on their website:
National Records of Scotland (NRS) - Vital Events - Deaths.
For specific queries about NRS publications and data, please contact them.
The process for doing this is described on their website:
National Records of Scotland (NRS) - Enquiries.
The Scottish Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO) website publishes a selection of Scottish all-cause mortality information, as well providing European and International comparisons. Examples of cause-specific mortality are also available in relevant sections of the website:
Scottish Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO) Deaths data.
Contact
Email: scotpho@nhs.net