Almost 300 more people than expected died at a Merseyside hospital last year, according to figures released by the NHS.
Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral saw 2,130 deaths between June 2019 and May 2020.
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, which runs Arrowe Park, was expecting to see around 1,850 deaths over the same period, meaning deaths were 15% higher than expected.
The figures include deaths in the hospital or within 30 days of discharge, but do not include patients who died from coronavirus, meaning the extra deaths were not directly linked to the pandemic.
However, it is possible that the added strain placed on hospital resources by the pandemic contributed to excess deaths. Patients delaying their admission to hospital because of concerns over coronavirus could also be a factor.
The extra 280 deaths will act as a “smoke alarm” prompting further investigation, especially as other Merseyside hospital trusts did not see similar increases.
On the NHS website, it states: "A higher than expected number of deaths should not immediately be interpreted as indicating poor performance and instead should be viewed as a ‘smoke alarm’ which requires further investigation by the Trust."
An NHS spokesperson said: “NHS services, and the care provided by our staff, are safe and open, so people should continue to come forward for treatment if they need it, and although this data is not by itself a measure of a hospital’s performance, it is one of a number of ways local leaders can seek to continuously improve the care they give patients.”
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The figures are produced on a monthly basis and provide an indication to each hospital trust in England for whether the observed number of deaths was higher, lower or as expected when compared to the national baseline.
The expected number of deaths is calculated using a complex statistical model that examines the characteristics of patients treated, including their age, gender, the condition they are being treated for, any underlying health concerns and the month they were admitted into hospital.
A spokesperson for Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust said: “The pattern of hospital admissions in the last year has been extremely unusual and it would be premature to draw conclusions about excess deaths.
"Wirral University Hospital Trust (WUTH) does weekly Mortality Reviews and mortality data are presented to the Board every quarter. WUTH is not an outlier in the North West for patient mortality.
“There were also fewer non Covid-19 patients in hospital during part of this period (May 2019-June 2020) and these patients were, of course, very ill indeed. Hence there was likely to be an increase in deaths following discharge and in hospital.
“Every hospital death is thoroughly reviewed and the Trust has an externally appointed Medical Examiner who reviews all relevant aspects of patient deaths. The Trust’s Board paper SHMI August 2020 shows that that the Trust’s mortality outcomes are ‘as expected’.
“WUTH takes patient safety extremely seriously and there are robust processes of assurance and monitoring in place to ensure this.”
