What our local mortality data tells us
7 Key facts
Unless otherwise stated, the following information relates to deaths of Kirklees residents registered in 2022 (the latest full year of data available at the time of writing).
Most deaths occur in our older population groups
- More than three quarters of deaths (76%) were people aged 70 or over, with over half of deaths (52%) being people aged 80 or over.
Women generally live longer than men
- 72% of male deaths were aged 70 or over and 45% were aged 80 or over, compared with female deaths where 80% were aged 70 or over and 60% were aged 80 or over.
- This pattern can be seen in life expectancy figures (2020-22), where life expectancy at birth is four years higher for Kirklees females (81.6 years) than males (77.6 years).
More deaths occur in hospital than at home
- 43% of deaths were in hospital
- 33% at home
- 19% in a care home
- 5% in a hospice setting
The proportion of deaths occurring at home is increasing
- Ten years ago (2013), 50% of deaths were in hospital and 24% were at home (compared with 43% in hospital and 33% at home in 2022).
Note, place of death does not necessarily reflect the level or type of support being provided immediately prior to death - for example, The Kirkwood can provide support to people living in their usual places of residence, including care homes.
The most common underlying causes of death are diseases of the circulatory system and cancers
- 25% of deaths were caused by diseases of the circulatory system
- 25% by cancers
- 11% by diseases of the respiratory system
- 7% by mental and behavioural disorders (predominantly dementia)
- 7% by diseases of the nervous system (predominantly Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease)
The majority of deaths of people under hospice care are cancer related
- 72% of total deaths of people receiving care from The Kirkwood were from cancer (data provided by The Kirkwood)
The majority of hospice funding comes from charitable donations
- Statutory funding covers 25% of The Kirkwood's income-covering expenditure, with the remaining 75% covered by all other aspects of income generation (including retail).
