THE number of avoidable deaths in Scotland surged in the first year of the Covid pandemic, with 27 per cent of all mortality down to preventable or treatable causes.

Official figures from the National Records of Scotland (NRS) also showed Scotland had by far the highest level of avoidable deaths among the British nations.

Labour said that behind every one was “a shameful public health failing”.

The NRS avoidable mortality report for 2020 said that of the 63,093 registered deaths in Scotland that year, 17,153 or 27% were considered avoidable.

The rate of mortality increased by 9 percentage points, from 308 to 336 per 100,000 people. This was almost entirely due to Covid.

In the absence of the pandemic, an estimated 15,686 or 24% of all Scottish deaths would have been deemed avoidable (308 per 100,000).

Cancers and circulatory diseases were the most common causes of avoidable mortality in 2020, accounting for 29% and 25% of all avoidable deaths respectively.

Alcohol and drug-related avoidable mortality rates increased for the ninth year in a row, with 52 deaths per 100,000 people.

After adjusting for age, avoidable mortality was 1.7 times higher among males (at 425 per 100,000 people) than females (253 per 100,000).

However the difference in mortality down to poverty was even more pronounced.

Avoidable mortality rates in the most deprived 20% of areas were nearly four times the rates of those in the least deprived areas (633 against 162 per 100,000).

Scotland’s overall avoidable mortality rate of 336 per 100,000 was higher than England (257) and Wales (287).

The report said: “This continues the historic trend of Scotland having higher avoidable mortality rates, although the gap between Scotland and the GB average narrowed slightly in the 2020. All GB nations experienced statistically significant increases in 2020.”

Avoidable mortality is a measure of deaths from causes for which all or most deaths are considered avoidable through timely and effective healthcare and public health interventions.

Julie Ramsay, Head of Vital Events Statistics at National Records of Scotland, said: “The avoidable mortality rate in Scotland fell between 2003 and 2014, but remained fairly stable from then until 2019. The inclusion of COVID-19 as an avoidable cause of death has contributed to the increased rate of avoidable mortality seen in 2020.”

“Avoidable alcohol and drug-related deaths continued to increase, but there were fewer avoidable deaths from cancers and respiratory illnesses than in previous years.”

Scottish Labour deputy Jackie Baillie said: “These tragic figures lay bare the real human cost of the SNP’s mismanagement of healthcare in Scotland.

“Behind every single one of these figures is a needless personal tragedy and a shameful public health failing.

“Despite warning after warning, drug and alcohol deaths kept rising, Covid ran rampant, and cancer continued to claim lives.

“As is all too often the case, it is the poorest communities paying the highest price for these failures. Scotland’s disgraceful health inequalities are nothing short of a national emergency, and they will continue to cost lives until we take action.

“There is no time to waste when lives are on the line – we need to support our NHS, deliver a real cancer catch-up plan and a proper public health response to the alcohol and drug death crisis Scotland faces.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "These new figures are devastating. Each one represents a life cut short and a family in mourning.

“Despite the hard work of our staff, A&E targets have not been met for months, thousands of operations have been lost, and the backlog is putting enormous pressure on almost all departments. This is also reducing the survival rate of people who could have been helped if they’d  been seen earlier. 

“As well as the huge toll taken by Covid, it’s clear that many of these deaths have also been caused by Covid-related harms, - missed diagnoses, mental ill health and substance use issues. The Government urgently need to invest in frontline services and an NHS recovery plan.”