Winter deaths fall in Stirling as region marks a drop from 2022 record high

dailyrecord.co.uk:

More than 350 winter deaths were recorded in Stirling last year as the region recorded a fall from 2022’s record high figure.The latest data published by the National Records of Scotland has reported a total of 353 deaths in Stirling during the ‘winter’ period - measured as between December and March.These months are traditionally associated with higher mortality, with the previous four months of 2023 between August and November seeing 317 deaths recorded.The Stirling picture is one which followed the trend reported nationally in the NRS statistics, with a fall in Scotland of 10 per cent in 2023 to the previous year’s figure - which was the highest rate of winter mortality in 30 years.Among the most common recorded causes for mortality during the winter months in Scotland were dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, influenza, chronic lower respiratory disease, coronary (ischaemic) heart disease, other respiratory system diseases and pneumonia.By contrast, deaths as a result of ‘exposure to excessive national cold’ represents a very small figure, with fewer than ten recorded in this category since 2019.The improvement in the picture of winter deaths comes on the back of concerns raised by an MSP earlier this month about level of preparedness for the busy months in the hospital services within Forth Valley.Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Alexander Stewart had said the region faced a “terrifying” winter in the face of poor accident and emergency waiting times figures at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.Just 47.4 per cent of patients arriving at FVRH were seen, treated and admitted, discharged or transferred within the four-hour guideline target in the latest release from August this year.But NHS Forth Valley chiefs hit back at the