By Bill Heaney
Scottish Labour has branded rising mortality rates a “travesty” and called on the First Minister to take responsibility for his legacy as Health Secretary.
A new report by the NRS has revealed that the number of deaths in March was 11% higher than the previous month and 10% higher than the March five-year average.
This represents a 4% increase in Scotland’s age-standardised mortality rate.
“The sharp rise in deaths is a damning indictment of the SNP’s record on our NHS.
“Humza Yousaf cannot wash his hands of this travesty – he must take responsibility for his legacy as Health Secretary and get our NHS back on track.”
Monthly mortality analysis, Scotland:
- There were 5,646 deaths in March 2023, an increase of 11% from the previous month.
- The number of deaths was 10% higher than the March five-year average.
- Taking into account the size and age structure of the population, the rate of mortality was 1,199 per 100,000 population. This was 4% higher than the average rate for March.
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2023/mortality-rate-4-higher-than-average-for-march