NHS figures show falling respiratory deaths and rising liver fatalities

New patient data from the NHS has shown a fall in mortality rates from respiratory illnesses in the last decade, coinciding with a rise in deaths from liver disease in the same timeframe.

Around 20 women and 29 men under the age of 75 per 100,000 of the population died from respiratory disease in 2009, compared to 22 and 33 respectively in 2001, according to data from the NHS Information Centre.

However, the proportion of men and women dying from liver disease during this period rose from 16 and nine per 100,000 in 2001 to 19 and ten by the end of the decade.

These statistics represent two of the 16 new data indicators being published for the first time under the NHS Outcomes Framework, which aims to provide better transparency and standards monitoring for health services.

NHS Information Centre chief executive Tim Straughan said: "Good information is vital to helping the NHS and the wider community understand what is happening in health and social care in England."

This comes after the government recently announced plans to share patient data with the life science sector in a bid to bolster the UK drug development pipeline.