Summary
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) takes avoidable mortality to mean deaths caused by “conditions which should not occur in the presence of timely and effective health care or through wider public health interventions”.
According to latest statistics, in Avoidable Mortality in England and Wales: 2012, deaths from potentially avoidable causes accounted for approximately 23% of all deaths registered in England and Wales in 2012. The commonest causes were ischaemic heart disease in males (22%) and lung cancer in females (15%).
Reference
ONS suggests that one in four deaths are ‘avoidable’. London: NHS Choices Behind the Headlines, May 8th 2014.
This relates to:
Reference
Avoidable Mortality in England and Wales, 2012. Newport: Office for National Statistics (ONS) [Mortality Analysis Team: Life Events and Population Sources Division], May 7th 2014.
June 2016 Update
Reference
Nearly one in four deaths ‘avoidable’. London: BBC Health News, June 29th 2016.
Low Awareness of Heart Disease? (British Heart Foundation)
Possibly of interest; coronary heart disease (CHD) is thought to account for 74,000 deaths in the UK each year.
Reference
Briggs, H. (2014). Heart disease warning factors ‘missed by many adults’. London: BBC Health News, September 29th 2014.