Drug Related Deaths in Scotland in 2009

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Note: the population estimates for whichever of the years from 2002 to 2011 (inclusive) appear in this publication are the original mid-year population estimates for those years. They have been superseded by 'rebased' population estimates which take account of the results of the 2011 Census. The 'rebasing' changed each year's estimate of the total population of Scotland by under 1%. Death rates (per 1,000 population) that were calculated using the original mid-year population estimates are therefore subject to small percentage changes. Revised death rates (calculated using the rebased population estimates) will be published in 'Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2013', but are not expected to change significantly any analysis of variation across Scotland or trends over time. More information about the rebasing of the mid-year estimates, and the consequential temporary breaks in series of death rates, is available from the Births and Deaths Rates: breaks in series circa 2011 section of this website.

List of Tables and Figures

NHS Board and Council statistics for certain drugs for 2009, on the 'all drugs found present in the body' basis (not the standard basis for figures for individual drugs)

With effect from the publication of Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2009, the standard basis for the National Records of Scotland figures for individual drugs for 2008 and subsequent years was changed to 'drugs which were implicated in, or which potentially contributed to, the cause of death'. Further information about this change is given in (e.g.,) paragraph 1.3 and Section 2 of Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2009. 

However, there is also some interest in statistics which cover all the drugs reported by a pathologist, including any 'which were present, but which were not considered to have had any direct contribution to this death'. Therefore, the extra tables that are available via the links below provide figures for individual drugs, for NHS Boards and councils for 2009, on this 'all drugs found present in the body' basis. These statistics are on the same basis as, and so may be compared with, the figures for 2008 which were published in Tables HB3 and C3 of Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2008 - but it must be remembered that they are not on the new standard basis. The extra tables are available below:

Statistical Service in Scotland

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