FOI Reference: FOI/2022/4222
You asked
I would like to request this piece of information to be updated to monthly figures up to the current date (June 2022) or to be yearly updated up to this month. The piece in question is surrounding ICD-10 R96 deaths by age in the UK.
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
Please see previously answered Freedom of Information request which addresses some of your enquiry.
Sudden Adult Deaths 2016 to 2021
2021 and 2022 data are still provisional and subject to change, this is to allow the inclusion of late registrations which are deaths which have been referred for Coroner investigation.
2021 data will be available on the 1July 2022 as part of our Deaths Registered Series and 21st Century Mortality and NOMIS will be updated to include this information. As such, this information is considered exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. Furthermore, as a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.
We have not completed analysis of 2022 data for these ICD-10 codes, nor do we hold analysis of monthly deaths involving Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.
We can create monthly data and 2021/2022 data in provisional format as a bespoke user data request. Bespoke data requests are outside of the FOI framework and are available to order from the HALE Customer services team and are subject to disclosure control, legal frameworks, resources and subject to agreement to costs, where applicable. Please contact Health.Data@ons.gov.uk to access this service.