You asked
The number of deaths per month due to cardiothoracic and cardiological reasons for the last four years including 2020 into 2021.
If possible, though please do not delay the response to the above to collate these, I would also like to see the split in these numbers across :
Age group
Whether waiting for surgery or not.
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
Deaths involving cardiological or cardiothoracic reasons will be published for 2020 as part of our Death Registered Series in July 2021. This information will also be available on our NOMIS Webservice which will provide age disaggregation.
As such, the information you have requested 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.
Unfortunately, we are unable to advise if deaths occurred whilst waiting for surgery, as this information is not recorded on the death certificate. NHS Digital may be better placed to answer your enquiry. They can be contacted via email at enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk.