4,000 FEARED DEAD IN OUR CARE HOMES

Shocking virus death toll hugely under-reported, warn experts

A ‘hidden epidemic’ of coronavirus in care homes may have cost 4,000 lives, experts warned last night.

They believe deaths are being hugely under-reported because of a lack of testing.

GPs are also sometimes reluctant to write Covid-19 on death certificates and figures from care homes are not included in the official daily toll.

The latest report from the Office for National Statistics says the virus killed 237 care home residents in England and Wales in the two weeks up to April 3. But industry figures say the true count is much higher – potentially 4,000 since the outbreak started. Campaigners and MPs warned yesterday of an ‘unfolding horror’ that could end up with tens of thousands of forgotten victims.

Ministers face urgent calls to get a grip and the Mail is demanding

virus tests for all staff and residents with symptoms, more protection gear and a Cabinet minister to deal with the crisis.

As it emerged that just 500 care home staff have been tested so far;

The industry regulator was accused of going missing before finally saying it would start to count deaths;

Chancellor Rishi Sunak denied that care home victims had been forgotten;

Two care home operators said they had already seen more than 500 deaths ;

Officially-registered deaths in a single week reached the highest level on record.

Another 778 fatalities in hospitals took the UK total past 12,000;

The Office for Budget Responsibility predicted a 35 per cent fall in GDP with two million thrown out of work;

Doubts grew over the prospect of hitting the 100,000-a-day testing target as numbers fell;

The Nightingale hospital in London was virtually empty over Easter;

Some 20 suspected arson attacks were made against 5G phone masts;

Prosecutors were told to consider the impact on the justice system when deciding whether to charge a suspect;

Experts warned many children could miss out on their MMR jab due to a reluctance to go to GP surgeries;

Drugs giants GSK and Sanofi teamed up on a vaccine to roll out in mid-2021;

Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, was reported to be the latest top figure to have had coronavirus.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night pledged action on testing and is also expected to outline a plan to address the crisis in social care.

Ministers are coming under pressure to include care home deaths in the daily figures. Mr Sunak and public health officials faced a string of questions over the issue at a press briefing last night.

Organisations including the Alzheimer’s Society and Care England, which represents social care organisations, believe the care home death toll is being hugely under-played by a lack of tests.

David Spiegelhalter, a Cambridge University professor, highlighted emergency laws that enable doctors to certify deaths without being present and risking infection. Sir David said this meant they were less inclined to record the virus as the cause of death.

Mike Padgham, of the Independent Care Group, which represents care homes and home care providers, said he believed the virus could already have claimed the lives of at least 4,000 residents.

He based the figure on estimates that suggest the toll is equal to about a third of deaths in hospitals as well as on care home deaths from other countries.

‘These people are in a very vulnerable group, they may have underlying conditions and they’re in close proximity so it’s being spread quicker,’ he said. ‘We don’t think the Government are doing enough and now they’ve been caught out. They didn’t fix the roof on social care when the sun was shining and now it’s too late.’

The Alzheimer’s Society estimates there have been at least 2,500 deaths from care homes based on the latest ONS data from yesterday. But these figures are 11 days behind. The charity’s Sally Copley said: ‘It strikes us that these deaths from coronavirus are the iceberg, and the hospital figures just the tip.

‘The evidence from Europe shows more than 40 per cent of all deaths relating to coronavirus occur in care homes.’

The Mail has compiled a figure of at least 951 care home deaths from officially confirmed fatalities by care home operators and local authorities or local media reports. Martin Green of Care England said up to three quarters of care homes ‘had some element’ of coronavirus.

Labour MP Peter Kyle MP said: ‘ We need a dedicated minister of Cabinet level who will bang their fist on the table and shout from the rafters about the horrors unfolding in our care system.’

Families yesterday lambasted the care home watchdog for soaring coronavirus deaths among residents.

The Care Quality Commission ceased routine inspections on March 16, citing ‘unprecedented pressure on the health and care system’.

Jayne Connery, director of Care Campaign for the Vulnerable, said: ‘With no external scrutiny, vulnerable care home residents have no means of speaking out or seeking help and families are not able to visit to keep a watchful eye.’

The CQC said it ‘will visit if we think there is a risk of harm or abuse’. But a spokesman did not specify exactly what ‘harm’ meant.