Sixth of deaths in two-year period were avoidable

Public Heath's mortality report said 309 deaths in the island were considered avoidable

A sixth of deaths in Guernsey between 2022 and 2024 could have been avoided, according to estimates in a new report.

Public Heath's mortality report said 309 deaths in the island were considered avoidable over the two-year period.

It found 10% of the deaths were caused by smoking while alcohol consumption was also a concern.

Dr Nicola Brink, director of Public Health, said: "Giving up smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, preventing disease through vaccination, increasing usage of screening services and drinking alcohol responsibly are factors that work for prevention."

Dr Brink said alcohol consumption in the island was a cause for concern

She said: "The report also confirms the negative effects of alcohol in our community as alcohol-specific deaths are shown to be one of the top contributory causes of years of life lost.

"Reducing this needs to be a serious ambition for our islands going forward, and we are committed to working towards that goal."

There were 1,970 deaths (excluding stillbirths) registered in Guernsey and Alderney in the two-year period - 94 of them were considered treatable and 215 preventable.

More than a third of avoidable deaths were linked to neoplasms, which are abnormal and excessive growths of tissue such as cancers.

Neoplasms were the highest cause of death in the island between 2005 to 2024 followed by circulatory diseases and respiratory diseases, said the report.

Dr Brink said: "Examining causes of death at population level is important because it can reveal factors which are having tangible effects on local people and their families by shortening lives, and many of those are modifiable."