Q3 Deaths Considerably Higher Than 5 Year Average

The mortality rates in the third quarter of the year were statistically higher than the 2019 average. 

Between July and September this year there were 113,348 deaths registered in England. 

This figure represented 2,997 more deaths than in the same quarter of 2018 and 2,247 more deaths than the five-year average (2014-18) for the third quarter of the year. 

The quarter has been particularly affected by adverse weather. The uncharacteristic number of deaths has been attributed, in part, to the number of deaths peaking on 25 July 2019 which was the hottest day of the year. 

Since that point, the UK has been bombarded with adverse weather from flash floods in Yorkshire to Earthquakes in Somerset. All of which, have had an impact on the mortality figures. 

Of the total deaths registered in the third quarter of 2019, 57,239 were male and 56,109 were female. 

However, the third quarter of the year remains statistically higher than the other quarter of 2019. In total, 366,533 registered deaths were recorded in the first three quarters of this year. 

Based on 2019’s year-to-date standardised mortality rate of 910 deaths per 100,000 population, the figures for 2019 are statistically significantly lower than all years since 2001. 

The excess winter deaths for England and Wales in 2018/19 was also the lowest recorded number since 2013/14.  

During the last winter period, 23,200 excess winter deaths were recorded and was considered to be significantly statistically lower than the past two recoded winters. 

Stuart Simpson, Head of Equiniti Benefactor, one of the largest bereavement administrators in the UK receiving over 1,000 notifications of death each day (around 55% of all UK deaths each year) and creator of the Death Notification Service, has taken the time to explain what these figures suggest and why winter can act as a catalyst for those awkward and uncomfortable mortality conversations with loved ones:  

“These statistics lay bare the true difference that the winter period makes to mortality with around 23,200 excess deaths through the 2018/19 period. Older people were particularly vulnerable with 17,200 excess deaths for over 75s as factors like the colder weather and increased illness take a greater toll on this demographic. 

“With Christmas approaching, a time when families are more likely to get together and see elderly relatives, the figures should provide a prompt for all people to put in place plans to help their nearest and dearest carry out final wishes and manage their estates easily. 

“Talking about death, especially with close family members and friends, is difficult but we witness first-hand the level of stress that dealing with estates can cause. Getting a will in place and communicating it in advance goes a long way to minimising the emotional strain of dealing with a death and maximising any wealth being passed down. 

“It is also helpful to know where to turn when we need support and the services that can reduce the emotional impact. There are many charities that offer support and guidance, while the Tell Us Once and Death Notification Services will notify public and private sector organisations, respectively. Since its launch, the Death Notification Service has helped over 17,000 users make around 50,000 notifications to member organisations, saving over 32,000 visits to banks and building societies. As we broaden this out to an ever-increasing number of companies and sectors such as the energy and utility companies, we hope to provide a better service to our customers and make the process of bereavement as pain-free as possible.” 

Should the changing climate become more of a factor encouraging families to have difficult discussions around mortality?