Fall In Hospital Death Rates

There's been a drop in the number of patients dying in hospital, according to figures released today.

Between July and September 2014, mortalities decreased by 16.3%.

The Scottish Government's announced £2.5 million worth of funding for Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Ministers say it will help improve patient safety at home and in hospital.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said:

“It is encouraging to see that our commitment to patient safety across the health service is delivering such strong results, especially at a time when our NHS is treating more people, with more complex needs, than ever before.

"The 16.3 per cent drop in mortality rates shows the high standards in Scotland’s NHS and is one of the reasons Scotland is emerging as a world-leader in delivering effective and safe care for patients.

"Only Scotland across the UK is publishing and driving improvement in our NHS through the use of mortality data in this way. And we have shown we will investigate and act when this points to potential issues, such as in NHS Lanarkshire two years ago.

“We have been clear that the NHS is facing pressures, and this winter has been particularly challenging. But the results we are achieving are clear. Staffing across the NHS is also now at a record high, with 7.6 per cent more employees since 2006, allowing us to give people the high quality health care they deserve.

“We are determined to build on the good work already being carried out, which is why we are committing £2.5 million to Health Improvement Scotland to enhance quality improvement across the NHS.

“Scotland was the first country in the world to implement a national patient safety programme across the whole healthcare system and this funding will allow it to be extended further.

“We have some of the best hospitals in the world and this funding will allow us to continue to provide high-quality, world-leading health and social care to the people of Scotland.”