Responding to Deaths registered in private homes, England and Wales: 2020 final and January to June 2021, provisional from the Office of National Statistics, Nuffield Trust Deputy Director of Research Sarah Scobie said:
“The number of deaths recorded at private homes since January 2020 has been consistently higher than the five-year average, and this phenomenon has continued throughout the pandemic.
“Registrations show that deaths from causes other than Covid-19, such as dementia and heart disease, are on the rise outside of care settings. Worries about catching Covid-19 and increased demand for health services generally may be behind this shift, but the direct links are not yet clear and further research is needed.
"If this trend is set to stay and more people are choosing to die or be cared for at home, then it represents a significant shift in demand for health care, and more focus will be needed to ensure families, patients and carers at home have the right support.”
Ends.
Notes to editors
The full data report from the ONS can be found here.
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