COVID-19 Recovery Committee
Inquiry into excess deaths in Scotland since the start of the pandemic
Background
The COVID-19 Recovery Committee is undertaking an inquiry into the cause of excess deaths in Scotland since the start of the pandemic.
Data from the Scottish Government shows that deaths in Scotland are 11% above the average for this time of year and have been above the average for the last 26 weeks.
What is unclear, is the extent to which this is being caused by the COVID-19 caseload, or the indirect health effects of the pandemic.
Your views
The Committee sought views on the following questions:
- Has the public health emergency shifted from COVID-19 deaths to deaths from non-COVID-19 conditions?
- Is there evidence that patients are now presenting in a more acute condition?
- What accounts for the deaths from non-COVID-19 conditions?
- Is there enough of a strategic focus on the indirect health impacts of the pandemic?
- What are the realistic options open to the government in addressing the indirect health impact of the virus in winter 2021/22?
The call for views closed on Friday, 7 January 2022.
Correspondence
Request for Written Evidence
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care's response
Letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
Response from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.