Figure far outstrips official total of 217 as testing finally begins for staff and residents

The death toll among people being looked after in care homes in England has risen to 1,400, care leaders have said, as NHS England and the Care Quality Commission finally started rolling out testing of staff and residents.

Care England, which represents the largest providers of care, said on Wednesday reports of confirmed and suspected deaths from several of the big networks showed the number of deaths was continuing to rise. Last week it estimated the death toll was below 1,000.

Coronavirus has been identified in about half of care homes in Scotland, operators say. Outbreaks have killed dozens in homes in Glasgow and Dunbartonshire, and there have been further deaths in Wales, where 81 care homes have cases.

The death toll starkly contrasts with data from the Office for National Statistics published on Tuesday that said 217 people died in care homes in England and Wales up to 3 April 2020. The difference is partly based on the ONS’s reliance on death certificates, which take time to be processed.

Helen Whately, the care minister, said on Wednesday the government accepted that the figures understated the scale of the problem.

“We are working really hard to make sure we do have the full picture and we do have updated data of lives lost,” she said. “I don’t want to speculate about what numbers might be. Having robust and accurate data is really important for decision-making. ONS and the Care Quality Commission are working to get up-to-date figures.”

This week MHA, one of the largest charitable providers of care homes, reported 89 confirmed and suspected Covid-19 deaths in six days, bringing its total to 210. Taken together with deaths reported by Four Seasons Health Care and HC-One, the toll for just three networks in recent weeks is rising past 620 deaths.

Quick guide What to do if you have coronavirus symptoms in the UK Show Hide Symptoms are defined by the NHS as either: a high temperature - you feel hot to touch on your chest or back

a new continuous cough - this means you've started coughing repeatedly NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days.

If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home. After 14 days, anyone you live with who does not have symptoms can return to their normal routine. But, if anyone in your home gets symptoms, they should stay at home for 7 days from the day their symptoms start. Even if it means they're at home for longer than 14 days. If you live with someone who is 70 or over, has a long-term condition, is pregnant or has a weakened immune system, try to find somewhere else for them to stay for 14 days. If you have to stay at home together, try to keep away from each other as much as possible. After 7 days, if you no longer have a high temperature you can return to your normal routine. If you still have a high temperature, stay at home until your temperature returns to normal. If you still have a cough after 7 days, but your temperature is normal, you do not need to continue staying at home. A cough can last for several weeks after the infection has gone.

Staying at home means you should: not go to work, school or public areas

not use public transport or taxis

not have visitors, such as friends and family, in your home

not go out to buy food or collect medicine – order them by phone or online, or ask someone else to drop them off at your home You can use your garden, if you have one. You can also leave the house to exercise – but stay at least 2 metres away from other people. If you have symptoms of coronavirus, use the NHS 111 coronavirus service to find out what to do. Source: NHS England on 23 March 2020

On Wednesday there were reports of 15 deaths at a single care home in Wavertree, Merseyside, and eight at a home in Stowmarket, Suffolk.

The Alzheimer’s Society has estimated about 2,500 people in care homes could have already died. Data from Italy, Spain, France, Ireland and Belgium has suggested about half of all deaths from coronavirus could be happening in care homes in those countries, increasing fears that the UK death toll could yet rise considerably.

Prof Martin Green, the chief executive of Care England, said he had been gathering figures from care home networks of numbers of residents dying with Covid-19 symptoms, but he stressed that in some cases, with a lack of testing, it was not always easy to determine the cause of death.

“We have got to get real-time data,” he said. “I want the same daily reporting structure we have with the NHS. We need to know what we are dealing with. If we see a huge spike at a particular time we can focus our agenda on support. It might identify hotspots.”

But he said the introduction of testing for care homes, announced by the Department of Health and Social Care, was welcome.

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“We have seen testing starting now and there is a massive logistical problem in having to make sure there is enough capacity for care home residents and care home staff,” he said. “I don’t underestimate the challenge but it is really good this is finally on the agenda and the government has a plan.”

Sam Monaghan, the chief executive of MHA, said care operators had been desperately in need of testing for the past month and welcomed the move.

“We will be monitoring this very closely to ensure testing is accessible for our staff and residents and it is carried out and the results received in a timely manner,” he said. “We have said from the outset that the two critical factors for the care and protection of our residents and staff are the combination of testing and adequate PPE.

“This announcement, however, should by no means take the focus off the critical need to ensure the production and supply of PPE. As a charity we can’t continue to be in a position where we are having to procure kit from the private market at heavily inflated prices because the government supply is insufficient.”

Green said many care homes remained confused about how to use often limited supplies of personal protective equipment. He said this was the result of sometimes conflicting advice from Public Health England about what to use in what circumstances.



