DEATHS occurring at Barnsley Hospital are broadly in line with expected numbers, according to new data.

NHS mortality data shows the number of patients who died following hospitalisation and compares that with the number expected to die based on national averages and the characteristics of patients.

The figures show that of 39,990 hospitalisations between October 2020 and September 2021, there were 1,250 deaths during a hospital stay or within 30 days of discharge - compared to an expected figure of 1,225, which researchers note is within the ‘as expected’ category despite being slightly higher.

Of those deaths, 64 per cent occurred in hospital and 36 per cent outside hospital within 30 days.

The majority of observed and expected deaths were after a diagnosis of pneumonia - with 170 total deaths compared to 155 expected.

Only deaths after an acute bronchitis episode were significantly higher than expected, with 50 observed deaths compared to 30 expected.

Hospital spells and deaths related to Covid-19 - which accounted for 3,020 extra stays - were excluded from the data.