SCOTLAND suffered thousands of avoidable deaths of elderly and vulnerable people last winter because of government inaction, pensioners’ leaders have charged.

The National Pensioners’ Convention (NPC) said that the numbers of winter deaths in Scotland for 2022-23 were the worst for more than 30 years and were an indication that Britain as a whole had suffered similarly.

National Records of Scotland figures showed 24,427 deaths registered in Scotland between December 2022 and March 2023: 11 per cent more than the previous winter and the highest since 1989-90, the NPC said.

Figures for the whole of Britain and Northern Ireland are due to be published later this year.

The statistics also showed a seasonal increase of 4,137 additional deaths in winter, from December to March, compared with the non-winter periods. 

The causes of death with the largest seasonal increases were dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (640 extra deaths), heart disease (490), chronic lower respiratory disease (400), flu (340) coronavirus (310) and circulatory system diseases (270).

NPC general secretary Jan Shortt said: “The figures from Scotland are shocking and do not bode well for the rest of the UK.

“We warned the government in January that urgent action would be needed to avoid unnecessary deaths. But little or nothing has been done.

“It is shameful that anyone should die from cold-related illness in this country.

“However, the ongoing rise in the cost of living, rampant energy prices, and the continuing crisis in the NHS and social care are taking a toll on our oldest and most vulnerable.”

Campaigners at Age Scotland said the scale of deaths last year was extremely concerning.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “The combination of the cost-of-living crisis, pressures on health and social care services, and spikes in flu and Covid-19 have had a severe impact, particularly on older people.

“We’re aware that many older people have faced difficulty accessing the health and social care they need, which may have led to conditions becoming more severe due to delays in diagnosis and treatment.

“Many have also struggled to meet the increasing cost of heating their homes to a safe level, increasing the risk of serious medical emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes.”

Britain suffers proportionately more excess deaths in winter than countries such as Sweden and Norway.

While Britain’s energy suppliers enjoyed rampant profiteering last winter, other countries imposed limits on energy price increases.

In France, the government, which is the controlling shareholder of the country’s national energy supplier EDF, imposed a 4 per cent maximum increase on energy prices.

Government financial support for the most vulnerable people last winter went underspent by more than £400 million.

The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has warned that the number of excess winter deaths is likely to rise again this winter.