Question reference: S6W-23292
- Asked by: Maurice Golden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 28 November 2023
-
Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 December 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to conduct a time series analysis of temperature-related mortality in Scotland.
Answer
As set out in the Climate Change Committee’s ‘ Adapting to Climate Change Progress in Scotland ’ November 2023 report, there is a need to develop our understanding of the effects of heat on population health and wellbeing in Scotland.
Public Health Scotland, an NHS National Board, and our national public health agency, committed in their 'Climate change and sustainability strategic approach 2023–2026: working together to build a greener, fairer, healthier future ', to carrying out a study to explore the feasibility of developing climate related health indicators for heat and cold for Scotland.
The work, which is underway, will examine the potential to use routine data to report excess heat related deaths and hospitalisations in Scotland. When available, the results of this study will be reviewed, and next steps agreed with Public Health Scotland.
National Records of Scotland (NRS) also publish an annual Winter Mortality report. The report and further background information is available here:
Winter Mortality | National Records of Scotland (nrscotland.gov.uk)
An analysis of the relationship between mean winter temperatures and mortality was last published by NRS in the 2020-21 report available here: