4.1 Deaths are normally classified by geographical area on the basis of the usual place of residence of the deceased (or, if that is not known, or is outwith Scotland, on the basis of the location of the place of death). Table HB1 shows the numbers of drug-related deaths for each Health Board area. Of the 574 deaths in 2008, 197 (34 per cent) were in the Greater Glasgow & Clyde NHS Board area. Lothian, with 94 (16 per cent), had the next highest total followed by Tayside (53 or 9 per cent), Lanarkshire (44 or 8 per cent), Grampian (41 or 7 per cent) and Ayrshire & Arran (40 or 7 per cent).
4.2 Because of the generally small numbers involved, particularly for some Health Board areas, great care should be taken when assessing any apparent trends shown in the table. As year-to-year variation in the figures could result in apparently large percentage changes (particularly for the smaller areas), the use of 5-year moving annual averages should "smooth out" the effects of any fluctuations, and so provide a better indication of the longer-term trends. The areas with the largest increases between their annual averages for 1996-2000 and 2004-2008 were Greater Glasgow & Clyde (up by 43, from 113 to 156), Lanarkshire (up by 22, from 19 to 41), Forth Valley (up by 17, from 4 to 21) and Ayrshire & Arran (up by 17, from 10 to 27).
4.3 The table also shows the population of each Health Board area, and what its average number of drug-related deaths per year (for 2004-2008) represented per 1,000 population (using the population in the middle of the 5-year period as a proxy for the average population over the whole period). For Scotland as a whole, the average of 428 drug-related deaths per year represented about 0.08 per 1,000 population. Only one area had a value higher than this: Greater Glasgow & Clyde (about 0.13 per 1,000 population). The next highest rate was for Tayside (0.08 per 1,000 population); six areas had rates of 0.07 per 1,000 population.
4.4 Table HB2 gives a breakdown by cause of death for each Health Board area. Table HB3 shows some geographical differences in the reporting of certain drugs: figures which should be used with particular care, in the light of the points mentioned in sections 2 and 3.3, the effects of which could be proportionately greater on the figures of some of the smaller areas. For most NHS Board areas, heroin/morphine was reported in a majority of the deaths e.g. 118 out of 197 in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, 36 out of 53 in Tayside, 32 out of 44 in Lanarkshire, and 29 out of 41 in Grampian. However, a lower proportion was observed in Lothian (31 out of 94). Greater Glasgow & Clyde had an above-average proportion for which methadone was reported (77 out of 197) as did Ayrshire & Arran (15 out of 25); there were lower proportions reported in Tayside (8 out of 53) and Lanarkshire (10 out of 44). The table also shows that diazepam was reported in over three-quarters of the deaths in Greater Glasgow & Clyde (151 out of 197) and only a small proportion in Grampian (2 out of 41) - but this comparison is affected by differences in reporting practices (see section 2).