Mortality

Key facts for Somerset:-

• Mortality rates vary widely at a local level. The mortality rate in the Somerset ward with the highest rate is around four times higher than in the ward with the lowest rate.
• Mortality rates are impacted by variety of factors including socio-economic circumstances and health behaviours. The prevalence of nursing homes may also impact on an area’s mortality rate.
• Between 2013 and 2017 there were 8,014 ‘premature’ deaths in Somerset, defined as deaths of people aged under 75. Areas with high rates of premature deaths are generally associated with high levels of deprivation.
• Cancers and circulatory diseases (including heart disease) are the main causes of death in Somerset, accounting for over half of all deaths.

View our dashboard for an overview of mortality statistics for Somerset wards and districts.

Issues in detail

A death (mortality) rate is a measure of the number of deaths (in general, or due to a specific cause) in a population, scaled to the size of the population. Comparison of death rates between areas which may have different age structures can be inappropriate, because the age structure of the population can affect the number of deaths and thereby the death rate. To overcome this a common approach is to adjust, or standardise, death rates to take account of differences between the age structures of the populations. One method is the Directly Standardised Rate (DSR).

The DSR for an area is the number of deaths, usually expressed per 100,000, that would occur in that area if it had the same age structure as the standard population.

• Between 2013 and 2017 there were 29,524 deaths recorded in Somerset, a DSR per 100,000 population of 844. The rate was highest in Taunton Deane (891 per 100,000) and lowest in West Somerset (804 per 100,000).
• At a local level there are wide variations in mortality rates; ranging from 2,122 deaths per 100,000 population in Monument Ward (in Taunton Deane) to 528 deaths per 100,000 in Crowcombe and Stogumber Ward (in West Somerset).

Individual circumstances such as socio-economic status, genetic and biological factors, and health behaviour (for example, alcohol consumption and smoking) all have an impact on health and subsequent mortality. Area characteristics such as environmental conditions, the proportion of people living with deprivation, and the availability of local services and resources can also affect health outcomes.

Another consideration with mortality rates is that some areas may have relatively large proportions of their population in nursing homes. As mortality in nursing homes is higher than in the general population it may appear that death rates in these areas are unexpectedly high.

Premature (under 75 years) Mortality

• Between 2013 and 2017 there were 8,014 deaths of people aged under 75 in Somerset. These are often defined as ‘premature’ deaths, and can help to identify where health inequalities exist between local communities.
• The Somerset ward with the highest premature death rates was Glastonbury St Benedict's Ward (Mendip) and the lowest was West Polden Ward (Sedgemoor).

Mortality by Cause

In 2016 cancers (27%) were the most common underlying cause of death group in Somerset followed by circulatory diseases including heart disease (26%), dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (13%) and respiratory diseases (12%) as the main causes of death. The most common individual cause of death was Dementia/Alzheimer's Disease both in Somerset and across England and Wales.

Most common individual cause of death by sex, Somerset and England, 2016

Primary Care Mortality Database © 2018, re-used with the permission of The Health & Social Care Information Centre All rights reserved. Office for National Statistics, Deaths registered in England and Wales (series DR), 2016.

NOTE:  If you add all the cancers together then they are the highest category for both men (25%) and women (29%) in Somerset, In addition, 3.8% of females died of breast cancer and 4.6% of males died of prostate cancer in Somerset. In England and Wales 3.8% of females died of breast cancer and 4.1% of males died of prostate cancer.

NOTE: In many cases, it's complications which arise from dementia that can shorten life. Although dementia is a life-shortening illness, another condition or illness (for example, pneumonia or a stroke) may actually cause a person's death.

NOTE: The classification of dementia & Alzheimer’s disease used by ONS excludes other dementia subtypes. If these are included in the definition the proportion of deaths rises to 9.6% for males, 16.3% for females and 13.1% overall.

Deaths in the 2013-17 five-year period

Circulatory Diseases:
Circulatory conditions accounted for 7,978 deaths in Somerset between 2013 and 2017 (accounting for 27% of all deaths), a DSR of 225 deaths per 100,000 people. 

Coronary Heart Disease is a circulatory condition and alone accounted for 3,270 deaths in Somerset between 2013 and 2017 (11% of all deaths), a death rate of 95 deaths per 100,000 people (DSR).

Cancers:
Cancers accounted for 7,941 deaths in Somerset between 2013 and 2017 (27%), a DSR mortality rate of 241 deaths per 100,000. For more details about incidence, survival and mortality of specific cancers please visit the cancer page

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease:
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (including dementia sub-types) accounted for 3,593 deaths in Somerset between 2013 and 2017 (12%), a DSR mortality rate of 93 deaths per 100,000.

Excess Winter Mortality

For information about Excess Winter Deaths in Somerset, please click here.