There were 23,200 excess winter deaths in England and Wales over the 2018/19 winter period.
This figure represents the lowest recorded number of excess winter deaths since 2013/14, according to the latest data from the Office of the Public Guardian.
Additionally, the excess winter mortality index for both England and Wales was statistically significantly lower than the past two recorded winters on record.
Stuart Simpson, Head of Equiniti Benefactor, one of the largest bereavement administrators in the UK receiving over 1,000 notifications of death each day (around 55% of all UK deaths each year) and creator of the Death Notification Service, has taken the time to explain what these figures suggest and why winter can act as a catalyst for those awkward and uncomfortable mortality conversations with loved ones:
“These statistics lay bare the true difference that the winter period makes to mortality with around 23,200 excess deaths through the 2018/19 period. Older people were particularly vulnerable with 17,200 excess deaths for over 75s as factors like the colder weather and increased illness take a greater toll on this demographic.
“With Christmas approaching, a time when families are more likely to get together and see elderly relatives, the figures should provide a prompt for all people to put in place plans to help their nearest and dearest carry out final wishes and manage their estates easily.
“Talking about death, especially with close family members and friends, is difficult but we witness first-hand the level of stress that dealing with estates can cause. Getting a will in place and communicating it in advance goes a long way to minimising the emotional strain of dealing with a death and maximising any wealth being passed down.
“It is also helpful to know where to turn when we need support and the services that can reduce the emotional impact. There are many charities that offer support and guidance, while the Tell Us Once and Death Notification Services will notify public and private sector organisations, respectively. Since its launch, the Death Notification Service has helped over 17,000 users make around 50,000 notifications to member organisations, saving over 32,000 visits to banks and building societies. As we broaden this out to an ever-increasing number of companies and sectors such as the energy and utility companies, we hope to provide a better service to our customers and make the process of bereavement as pain-free as possible.”
