Winter is always a period of increased work for health services, with statistics every year proving this in the most blunt of fashions.

Excess winter death figures represent the difference in the number of people dying during the winter months compared the rest of the year and, as Statista's Martin Armstrong points out, are a good indicator of just how hard the cold season has been.

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The winter of 2017/18 was especially hard and, combined with a strong flu and problems associated with vaccines, it was the worst winter for excess deaths in over 40 years.