Coronavirus care home deaths fall for eighth week in a row

There has been a UK-wide week on week fall in care homes' COVID-19 deaths - with England's care homes seeing a decline in deaths for the eighth consecutive week, analysis by carehome.co.uk reveals.

England’s care homes have reported 258 COVID-19 deaths to the Care Quality Commission for the week ending 19 June - this is down from 407 deaths reported the previous week (w/e 12 June).

These figures relate to care home residents' deaths, irrespective of where a resident’s death occurred (e.g. hospital).

The death rate is continuing to drop in England from a peak of 3,631 COVID-19 deaths of care home residents for the week ending 24 April.

The successive fall in deaths fall in England reflects a drop in care home deaths across the UK.

Welsh care home COVID-19 fall

Four care home residents in Wales died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in the week ending 19 June, according to data reported to the Care Inspectorate Wales.

This is a fall from 15 deaths in Welsh care homes reported the week before (w/e 12 June).

Scotland's seventh consecutive drop

Scotland’s care homes reported 35 COVID-19 deaths (for the week ending 14 June), - down from 42 deaths the week before (w/e 7 June).

The figures above (published on 17 June) by National Records of Scotland (which publishes weekly figures each Wednesday), revealed the number of care home COVID-19 deaths have decreased for the seventh consecutive week. Separate weekly data from Scotland’s Care Inspectorate shows 28 care home residents died of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 for the week ending 14 June. This is down from 50 COVID-19 deaths (confirmed and suspected) the week before (w/e 7 June).

Daily data for yesterday (22 June), published on the Scottish Government's website, revealed there were 340 care homes with a case of suspected COVID-19 – that’s 31 per cent of Scotland’s care homes.

Northern Ireland's decrease

In Northern Ireland’s care homes, five care home residents died of (suspected or confirmed COVID-19) (irrespective of where deaths actually occurred) in the week ending 12 June.

This is a decrease from seven deaths for the week ending 5 June, according to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

The death rate has fallen every week in Northern Ireland's care homes, from a peak of 82 COVID-19 deaths in the week ending 1 May.

'Very welcome'

Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group (ICG) which represents care homes, said: "The downward trend in care and nursing home deaths is very welcome and we are all pleased and relieved that we seem to be passing the peak.

"But we also have to be mindful that for some, this crisis will have been the final straw and may well cause the closure of some care and nursing homes, causing a fresh issue in social care.

"The government will have to step up its support for the sector to avoid a sudden loss of provision, or we will have a second crisis on our hands through a lack of places."