More deaths in care homes than in the community for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak Health Foundation response to weekly ONS mortality data for England and Wales

Commenting on today’s release of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data: Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales for the week ending the 10 April 2020, Sarah Deeny, Assistant Director of Data Analytics at the Health Foundation, said:

‘Today’s data show that hospital remained the place where most deaths happened in England and Wales during the week of 10 April. Total deaths in hospital increased by around 70% between the week of 13 March and the week of 10 April.

‘Usually, the second most common place to die in England and Wales is the community, however today’s data reveal that for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, there were more deaths in care homes than in the community. In the week of 10 April, there were 4,927 deaths recorded from any cause in care homes in England and Wales – a 99% increase on the week of 13 March when 2,471 deaths were recorded. There were only 829 deaths recorded as related to COVID-19 from care homes in the week of 10 April and none in the week of 13 March. However, the huge increase in deaths from any cause is likely to be a more accurate indication of the scale of the impact of the pandemic on those living in care homes.

‘Better surveillance of deaths in care homes is clearly urgently needed, in a timely manner. While today’s data are a useful indication of the real scale of the challenge care homes face, unfortunately this data records deaths that occurred over ten days ago. We welcome efforts from ONS to work with CQC to better record deaths in care homes. Better and more timely data from care homes, on the health needs of those living in care homes, and suspected cases and deaths, could have helped mobilise more assistance for the sector earlier on and this now must be a focus.’