Responding to the weekly mortality stats from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the week ending 17 April 2020, Nuffield Trust Deputy Director of Research Sarah Scobie said:
“These ONS figures represent a sombre milestone as the number of deaths for one week reaches the highest ever recorded. There is no escaping the tragic impact that the COVID-19 outbreak is having on families and communities.
“It is now increasingly clear that COVID-19 has gripped the social care sector tightly. The number of care home deaths are over 5000 higher than we would see in an average week for this time of year. This week, which includes deaths registered in the week ending 17th April, we have seen the number of deaths in care homes jump by 50% from the previous week. This will have taken an extraordinary emotional and physical toll on hard-pressed care staff looking after residents.
“While we have seen a significant increase in those dying within care homes, most of them appear not to have been attributed to COVID-19. It is very likely that the total number of COVID-19 deaths continues to be significantly under-recorded. This raises questions about whether just looking at COVID-19 deaths is the best measure of the impact of this pandemic.”
Notes to editors
- The Office for National Statistics weekly mortality statistics are available from: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending17april2020
- The Nuffield Trust is an independent health think tank. We aim to improve the quality of health care in the UK by providing evidence-based research and policy analysis and informing and generating debate.
- For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Simon Keen on 07805 217935 or simon.keen@nuffieldtrust.org.uk