Responding to the weekly mortality stats from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the week ending 8 May 2020, Nuffield Trust Deputy Director of Research Sarah Scobie said:
"We are now seeing the number of deaths across all settings fall week to week. While this reflects efforts to slow the spread of the virus, it is a sad fact that the number of registered deaths is a third higher than we would typically expect to see at this time of year.
"We still have some way to go. Deaths attributed to Covid-19 still account for 45% of hospital deaths and nearly four deaths per every 10 in care homes.
"While the NHS thankfully no longer needs to treat as many very sick Covid-19 patients, people must remember that it now faces the difficult new challenge of containing the disease. This will require many big changes to the way things work, with a lasting impact on waiting times."
Notes to editors
- The Office for National Statistics weekly mortality statistics are available from: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending8may2020
- 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