DEATH IN CARE
THE PEOPLE DYING IN CARE HOMES FROM DEHYDRATION, MALNUTRITION, PRESSURE SORES, OR SEPTICAEMIA
NEARLY 1,000 people died in care homes in England and Wales because of dehydration, malnutrition, septicaemia, and pressure sores or ulcers in 2016.
The shocking figure, released by the Office for National Statistics, is the second-highest on recent record - behind 2015.
A total of 952 people died from one of those causes in care homes provided by the NHS, councils or the private sector in 2016.
Those figures do not include care home residents who were transferred to hospital before their death. The number of deaths is down slightly on 2015, when it stood at 2015, but higher than any other year since modern records began in 2001. The fewest number of deaths since then was in 2011, when it stood at 794. More than one in six people (16.4%) who died across England and Wales in 2016 because of dehydration were care home residents. There were 67 people who had dehydration listed as the underlying cause for their death, and 11 of those were in homes.
Some 24 people died in care homes following pressure sores or ulcers, commonly known as bedsores.
Bedsores are caused by persistent direct pressure on areas of the skin. They can develop quickly and are susceptible to infection.
This means that nearly a fifth (18.5%) of the 130 people in England and Wales who died after getting pressure sores were in care homes at the time.
Of the 7,099 people who died from falls, 730 were in care homes at the time.
Deaths from falls actually made up 78% of all deaths in care.
Some 182 people in care homes died after contracting septicaemia, a type of blood poisoning. A total of 2,900 people died from the condition across England and Wales as a whole, including those who were not in homes.
Malnutrition was the underlying cause of death of five care home residents in 2016.
The fact someone died of one of the listed conditions does not necessarily mean their care was sub-standard.
Sometimes preexisting conditions can make things like malnutrition and falls virtually impossible to avoid in the very elderly or vulnerable. For example, patients with advanced dementia may have difficulties chewing and swallowing which can lead to malnourishment and death. In 2016, 10 of the 952 people who died in care homes were under the age of 65. That was significantly higher than the four who died the previous year. Seven of those died from falls, two died from septicaemia, and one from malnutrition.