Coronavirus: Care home death statistics 'long overdue'

A CQC spokesman said the data would offer a "regional view of which areas are being most impacted"

Definitive data about Covid-19 deaths in care homes could be published "in the next couple of weeks", the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.

It comes amid calls from the care home community for accurate data to reflect the scale of the virus on their sites.

They are accusing the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which holds detailed statistics of care home deaths, of "dragging their heels".

Only 207 virus-linked deaths have been recorded in care homes in England.

Reporting deaths

The CQC, England's health and social care regulator, said it was working to "provide more detailed information about how the pandemic is affecting care homes".

CQC has recently added a Covid-19 tick box to its care home death reporting form, which all care home managers are already required to fill out immediately after a death occurs on their premises.

A CQC spokesman said the data would offer a "regional view of which areas are being most impacted and may need additional support as a result", and that it was "working closely with ONS on how our data could be used to inform their public reporting".

One care home manager, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "Every care home manager knows CQC has the figures, so why haven't they already made this information available?

"We have to be so detailed when we report a death, so we know the CQC has all the information at their fingertips."

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'Wipe out everyone'

She added: "It is so important to show these stats as it will open everyone's eyes to the reality of what is happening in our care homes - it's dangerous.

"We are dealing with some of the most vulnerable members of our society, and one infected person could wipe out everyone else, but the CQC just seem to be dragging their heels."

The ONS has published figures from 29 December to 3 April, based on information volunteered on death certificates.

The 207 deaths figure is less than half the figure provided by two of the UK's largest care home providers which, between them, reported 442 coronavirus-related deaths.

Sue Learner, editor of reviews site carehome.co.uk, said it was reassuring that the ONS and CQC were working together but the decision to begin asking care providers for this information was "long-overdue".

She said: "The CQC should have begun recording this data weeks ago, as it was clear back then that it was the elderly and vulnerable who were most at risk of dying and that care home deaths were going under the radar."

"We need a proper picture of what is happening so care homes receive the crucial help and support they need," she added.