Coronavirus care home deaths 'running wild' - rising tenfold in a week

Deaths in care homes have leapt tenfold in a week, latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal.

Today's published figures show 217 people died in care homes of coronavirus (week ending 3 April) – a jump up from 20 care home deaths reported the week before (week ending 27 March).

The weekly figures (published 14 April) have a 10-day time lag and refer to deaths outside hospital of confirmed or suspected coronavirus - as detailed on death certificates. Last week, a spokeswoman for the ONS told carehome.co.uk specific figures for care homes would be published in future results.

According to the ONS, some 136 deaths occurred in people's private homes and 33 deaths occurred in hospices in the week up to 3 April.

Over 2,400 suspected cases at HC-One care homes

The leap in care home figures for England and Wales, follow Age UK's warning to the government that deaths in care homes are "running wild".

Sir David Behan, director of HC-One, Britain's largest care home operator, has told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, coronavirus is already in two-thirds (232) of the group's care homes.

HC-One operates around 330 homes. By Monday night (13 April) there had been 2,447 cases of either suspected or confirmed COVID-19 within the its care homes.

Some 311 deaths at its care homes occurred as a result of confirmed or suspected coronavirus. The deaths included one staff member.

The government has been urged to include care home deaths in its daily death toll figures by the care sector and the Labour Party. The daily death figures currently records deaths in hospitals only.

Professor Chris Whitty, the UK government’s chief medical adviser said on 13 April, one in seven care homes in England now had coronavirus outbreaks.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) says limited testing in care homes means the true number of deaths of people in care settings with confirmed COVID-19 is unknown. This week, the CQC will ask care providers to record the number of suspected cases, to enable it to report daily figures.

'Airbrushing older people'

Age UK, Care England, Independent Age, Marie Curie and the Alzheimer's Society wrote to Health Secretary Matt Hancock demanding more action to support social care during the pandemic.

The letter called for urgent testing and PPE in care homes. It said residents 'are told they cannot go to hospital, routinely asked to sign Do Not Resuscitate orders, and cut off from their families when they need them most'.

The letter stated: 'Older people’s lives are not worth less. Care home staff are not second class carers.'

Referring to the government's daily death figures Caroline Abrahams, director of Age UK said: "The current figures are airbrushing older people out like they don't matter."