Coronavirus-related care home deaths rise 40% in England and Wales in one week

New data reveals an overall decline in total deaths in England and Wales for second week running, but care homes continue to see thousands of deaths

The total number of deaths in care homes since the coronavirus outbreak began across England and Wales increased by 41 per cent in just a week, new data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed.

There were a total of 8,312 care home deaths registered up to 1 May where Covid-19 was included on the death certificate, up from a total of 5,890 the week before.

The number of care home deaths involving Covid-19 during the seven days to 1 May decreased from 2,800 to 2,423, a fall of almost 12 per cent. However, across the country, the ONS said the total number of deaths in England and Wales by 1 May that were linked to Covid-19 was now more than 34,000.

The ONS analysis said compared to the five-year average it had seen 46,494 more deaths than expected in the five weeks since the start of the outbreak.

The virus was linked to three-quarters of the deaths and the ONS said it was now investigating the reasons behind the non-Covid cases.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said today that the numbers of deaths in care homes during the last few weeks, after the date of this ONS analysis, were now starting to fall further.

He told the BBC: “Some of the most vulnerable people live in care homes, yet only around a quarter of the deaths that have happened have been in care homes.

“That’s much lower than most international comparators.”

The latest data comes as the NHS has been asked to provide increased support for care homes by the end of this week to help them cope with the virus and support the clinical needs of patients.

The ONS said there had been 7,903 Covid-19 related deaths in care homes in England by 1 May, with 404 in Wales.

The Care Quality Commission, which has also been collecting data on deaths from care home providers, said it was informed of 8,314 deaths between 10 April and 8 May, with 1,503 occurring in the week to 8 May.

The ONS data also revealed there had been an overall decline in the total number of deaths in England and Wales for the second week running. There were 17,953 deaths in England and Wales in the week ended 1 May. But that was still 8,000 more than the five-year average for that week.

A survey of 200 care providers by the National Care Association has found almost three quarters were concerned about their companies viability with many claiming extra funding from the government given to local councils was not being passed on.

Nadra Ahmed, chair of the NCA, said: “The comments included in the survey tell a story of utter despair as providers have had to fight their way through this pandemic with little information or support from the government. When funds were eventually released they did not materialise on the frontline and still haven’t – where have all those billions gone?

“Why on earth did it take so long to recognise the importance of testing? This is the unfolding tragedy of the decisions taken not to support vulnerable people in social care settings; it is unforgivable and the government must act immediately to remedy the situation.”

Care minister Helen Whately said: “My thoughts are with everyone who has lost someone to coronavirus, every death from this virus is a tragedy. I’d like to personally thank the care workers who are looking after our loved ones for their compassion and commitment.

“We continue to work night and day to give social care providers the best possible support and ensure they have the protection they need as quickly as possible, we’ve already made millions of items of PPE available across the social care system. Now we also have the capacity to deliver up to 30,000 tests a day to residents and staff in care homes for older people.

“It is a relief to see the number of deaths in care homes falling, but sadly they continue to make up a significant proportion of coronavirus-related deaths and our work is not done. Supporting the social care sector through this pandemic has always been a priority, and we are doing everything in our power to ensure they have all they need to look after those in their care.’’

Covid-19 accounted for about one-third of all deaths, down from 37 per cent the week before.

For the first time, all regions showed a decrease in the percentage of deaths involving the virus. The southeast had the highest number of Covid-19 deaths, making this the first week that London did not have the highest count.