Higher than expected mortality rate

There were also more road deaths in Londonderry (10) than anywhere bar Newry and Mourne and more suicides (27) than anywhere with the exception of Belfast.

The death toll was revealed by new research which also shows that 2010 was the year in which the lowest death rate in the history of Northern Ireland was recorded.

Only in Belfast - with a mortality ratio 18 per cent higher than the Northern Ireland average - was there a greater level of unexpected deaths than in the Maiden City.

And Londonderry was one of only five places across the province to experience a greater number of deaths than expected, according to the new Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) report.

Last year there were 7.1 deaths recorded for every 1,000 people living in the city, which despite the greater than expected mortality level noted above, was one of the lowest death rates in Northern Ireland per 1,000 of population.

Yet almost 810 people died in Londonderry in 2010 - 394 men and 385 women. The biggest killers were cancer (218), heart disease (119) and stroke (52). Respiratory diseases killed 97 whilst 10 fatal road accidents killed more people in Londonderry than any other district apart from Newry and Mourne (12).

The city also had the highest number of deaths by suicide (27) outside Belfast (67).

The actual number of deaths here (779) was 9 per cent higher than what would be expected if the age/sex specific death rates of Northern Ireland were applied to the age/sex groups in Londonderry. The Standard Mortality Ratio (SMR) in Northern Ireland was 100 whereas in Londonderry it was 109.

If mortality levels are higher in the population being studied than would be expected, the SMR is greater than 100.

For the latest year available (2008), Scotland had the highest SMR in the UK which was 17 per cent higher than the UK average of 100 and England had the lowest which was 2 per cent below the UK average.

Northern Ireland and Wales had SMRs which were, respectively, 7 per cent and 3 per cent higher than the UK average.

Thus the mortality level in Londonderry at 9 per cent above that of Northern Ireland as a whole is considerably higher again than the UK average.

The newly-published report is largely upbeat, however, and points out that at Health and Social Care Trust level, crude death rates ranged from 9.6 deaths per 1,000 population in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust area to 6.9 deaths per 1,000 population in the Western Health and Social Care Trust area.

Belfast Local Government District had the highest crude death rate (9.8 deaths per 1,000 population) of all Local Government Districts while the lowest crude death rate (5.7) was in Magherafelt Local Government District.

Last year there were 14,500 deaths registered in Northern Ireland, a small increase of 0.3 per cent from 2009. However the population is increasing which resulted in 2010 having the lowest death rate in the history of Northern Ireland.

The fall in mortality witnessed over the last number of decades has helped drive the ageing of the population. One outcome of this is the increasing number of deaths of the very elderly; indeed last year saw the largest number of deaths of centenarians ever (107 deaths).

Over half of all deaths are caused by three main diseases; cancer (4,000 deaths), ischaemic heart disease (2,200 deaths) and stroke (1,200 deaths). Last year saw the highest number of cancer deaths ever. Also in 2010 the number of registered deaths due to suicide was over 300, the highest number on record.

A NISRA spokesperson said that:

“Last year saw the lowest death rate ever recorded. This occurred despite having an ageing and increasing population living in Northern Ireland. Cancer remains the biggest single cause of death, while the numbers of those dying of ischaemic heart disease continues to fall.”