These mortality indicators provide information to help the National Health Service (NHS) monitor success in preventing potentially avoidable deaths following hospital treatment. The National Confidential Enquiry into Patients Outcomes and Death (NCEPOD) have, over many years, consistently shown that some deaths are associated with shortcomings in health care.
The NHS may be helped to prevent such potentially avoidable deaths by seeing comparative figures and learning lessons from the confidential enquiries, and from the experience of hospitals with low death rates. The indicators presented measure mortality rates for patients, admitted for certain conditions or procedures, where the death occurred either in hospital or within 30 days of the emergency admission or operative procedure.
Data are presented for the 10 year period 2005/06 to 2014/15, and in separate breakdowns for females, males and persons
For information on the definitions of what these indicators include, please see the relevant specification.
Key Facts
Of the five indicators included in this report for the 2014/15 financial year, the 30-day indirectly standardised mortality rate (ISR) per 100,000 eligible continuous inpatient (CIP) spells in England was highest for patients admitted for stroke (15,991) followed by those admitted for fractured proximal femur (6,540), patients admitted for myocardial infarction (4,536), patients undergoing a procedure following a non-elective admission (3,524) and patients undergoing a coronary artery bypass graft procedure (1,414).
Despite some fluctuation, the 30-day mortality rate for each indicator decreased between 2005/06 and 2014/15.
The indicator showing the largest decrease over the time period is for patients admitted with fractured proximal femur.
The 30-day mortality rate for this indicator has reduced by 35.9 per cent (10,202 in 2005/06 to 6,540 in 2014/15).
Over the 10-year period 2005/06 to 2014/15, the 30-day ISRs in England show there has been;
A decrease of 30.2 per cent (22,901 to 15,991) in deaths within 30 days per 100,000 emergency admissions for stroke.
A decrease of 35.9 per cent (10,202 to 6,540) in deaths within 30 days per 100,000 emergency admissions for fractured proximal femur.
A decrease of 30.2 per cent (6,502 to 4,536) in deaths within 30 days per 100,000 emergency admissions for myocardial infraction.
A decrease of 23.2 per cent (4,588 to 3,524) in deaths within 30 days per 100,000 procedures for surgery following a non-elective admission.
A decrease of 31.7 per cent (2,070 to 1,414) in deaths within 30 days per 100,000 coronary artery bypass graft procedures.
In comparison to 2013/14, the 2014/15 30-day mortality rates per 100,000 eligible CIP spells in England show that there has been:
An increase of 0.9 per cent (15,843 to 15,991) in deaths following emergency admissions for stroke.
An increase of 1.2 per cent (6,462 to 6,540) in deaths following emergency admissions for fractured proximal femur.
An increase of 3.2 per cent (4,396 to 4,536) in deaths following emergency admissions for myocardial infarction.
A decrease of 1.5 per cent (3,579 to 3,524) in deaths following surgery following non-elective procedures.
A decrease of 6.7 per cent (1,515 to 1,414) in deaths following coronary artery bypass graft procedures