The number of people dying from alcohol-related illnesses in Ayrshire has fallen, new statistics from the National Records of Scotland reveal.

Deaths for which the underlying cause was classified as 'intentional self-harm' or 'event of undetermined intent' have also declined in most Ayrshire areas, except in North Ayrshire where they increased slightly.

The report, published earlier today, shows that there were 87 alcohol-related deaths across the three Ayrshires.

That's down from 108 in 2020.

In East Ayrshire there were 23 deaths (down from 31), in North Ayrshire, 44 (down from 50), and in South Ayrshire, 20 (down from 27).

Ayrshire bucks the trend, with the rest of the country recording an increase in the number of alcohol-related deaths. Nationwide, the number of alcohol-specific deaths has increased by 17 per cent to 1,190 in 2020, up from 1,020 in 2019.

This is the largest number of deaths due to alcohol recorded since 2008.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services said: “NRS figures released today show a marked increase in the number of deaths due to alcohol, reversing the fall seen in 2019. 

“Monthly analysis shows that alcohol-specific deaths were higher than average in 10 months of 2020. From August to November deaths were similar to, or substantially higher than, the highest numbers seen during these months over the last five years."

Tragically, 23 people died in East Ayrshire in 2020 as a result of 'intentional self-harm' or 'event of undetermined intent', which is a decrease from 26 the year before.

In North Ayrshire there were 19 deaths, up one on the previous year.

And South Ayrshire saw a fall from 19 deaths in 2019 to 11 deaths in 2020.

Nationwide, probable suicide deaths decreased by three per cent to 805 deaths, from 833 in 2019. There was a downward trend in probable suicide deaths in Scotland from the early 2000s until 2017, followed by increases in 2018 and 2019.

Rachel Cackett, Executive Director of Samaritans Scotland, commenting on the release, said: “Every one of these 805 deaths represents a life lost, with devastating consequences for families, friends and communities.  

"We know that the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted all our lives, creating new challenges for mental health and exacerbating existing risk factors for suicide.

"However, it is important to remember that there is no single reason why someone takes their own life and that a range of factors contribute to suicide risk. Deaths by suicide in Scotland had been rising since 2017, and so today’s data is a small but positive step. 

"However, one life lost to suicide is one too many, and these figures are a reminder of why suicide prevention must remain a priority as we emerge from the challenges of the pandemic.

"As a member of the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group we have welcomed a renewed focus on suicide prevention at a national and local level.

"This is leading to real change in how we support people experiencing suicidal crisis and those who have been bereaved by suicide, in tackling stigma and through public awareness, ensuring more people feel able to ask for and access support."

The NRS stats also show that there was a 1.1 per cent decrease, to 6,352, in deaths where Alzheimer’s and other dementias were the underlying cause.

There were 2,759 accidental deaths in Scotland, a 1.2 per cent increase compared with 2019. The majority of accidental deaths were the result of accidental poisonings or falls.

The death rate from all causes for people in the most deprived areas is 1.9 times that of those in the least deprived. Death rates for drug-related (18.4 times as large), alcohol-specific deaths (4.3 times as large), and suicides (3.0 times as large) were notably higher in the most deprived areas.

Statistics on the number of drug related deaths in Ayrshire were also published recently, they showed that 106 people lost their life as a result of drugs in 2020.