Coronavirus: UK overall sees care home residents' deaths fall again

For the ninth week in a row, England saw a drop in residents’ COVID-19 deaths, however Wales has seen its deaths double - with the UK experiencing a fall overall, analysis by carehome.co.uk reveals.

England’s care homes have reported 184 COVID-19 deaths to the Care Quality Commission for the week ending 26 June - this is down from the 258 deaths the week before (w/e 19 June).

England’s 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.

Scotland's eighth consecutive drop

Scotland’s COVID-19 deaths in care homes have fallen for the eighth week in a row.

In Scotland’s care homes there were 20 COVID-19 deaths (for the week ending 21 June) - a drop from the 35 deaths recorded the week before (w/e 14 June).

These figures from National Records of Scotland (NRS), which publishes its latest figures every Wednesday, relate to the number of deaths occurring in care homes only.

Separate data from Scotland’s Care Inspectorate reveal 18 residents died in care homes of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in the week ending 22 June.

This is a drop from the 28 care home residents who died the week before (week ending 14 June).

Scotland's COVID-19 deaths reached a peak of 341 deaths in the week ending 26 April.

Daily data for 29 June, published on the Scottish Government's website, revealed there were 140 care homes with a current case of suspected COVID-19 – that’s 13 per cent of Scotland’s care homes.

Welsh deaths double

Unlike the rest of the UK, Wales had eight care home residents die of (confirmed or suspected COVID-19) in the week ending 26 June, according to notifications from care homes to Care Inspectorate Wales.

This rise is double the number of deaths of care home residents reported the week before when four deaths were reported (week ending 19 June).

The figure includes all locations where the resident died, (e.g. hospital, ambulance, care home or unknown).

Northern Ireland consecutive fall

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

This is a decrease from five deaths for the week ending 12 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.

Hope 'we are beyond the worst'

Mike Padgham, runs four separate care homes as well as being chair of the Independent Care Group (ICG) which represents care homes. Mr Padgham said: "We sincerely hope that the figures going down indicates that we are beyond the worst. Our own experience seems to bear this out.

"However, we have to remain vigilant and the easing of lockdown restrictions and greater freedom of movement could cause a second spike, which would have consequences for care settings.

"Many relatives are understandably asking ‘if we can go to the pub, why can’t we go and see our relatives?’ We have seen what is happening in Leicester and the more restrictions are lifted and people, including care staff, return to more normal contact, the greater the risk of the virus being brought into a home again".

With some care homes closed and others facing financial hardship because of coronavirus costs and reduced admissions, he said "care and nursing homes need strong occupancy rates to survive and experts are warning that new admissions are going to continue to fall. We need to get more financial help to front line care providers to enable them to survive."

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