An extra 1,400 people in England and Wales are dying in their own homes per week during the coronavirus outbreak, figures show.
Latest data from the Office for National Statistics revealed 4,117 people passed away at home in the week leading up to April 10.
That’s 1,392 more (51 per cent) than the week before the country became gripped by the pandemic.
Many of the excess deaths are thought to be caused by the virus, but experts warn some will be due to people feeling anxious about going to hospital during the crisis.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday begged seriously ill patients to keep using the NHS amid fears patients are scared of catching COVID-19 in hospitals.
The ONS report also showed the numbers of people dying with the coronavirus in care homes had soared since mid-March.
In the week ending March 20, two residents died; this rose to 20 the week after that, 187 the following week and 768 between April 4 and April 10.
It comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) today announced that care home residents made up half of all COVID-19 deaths in Europe.
An extra 1,400 Britons are dying in their own homes per week during the coronavirus outbreak. Some 4,117 people in England and Wales passed away at home in the week leading up to April 10. That’s 1,392 more (51 per cent) than the weekly average before the crisis
Thousands of cancers are being missed every week because patients are not going to their GP, a leading charity has warned. Above, ambulance crew deal with a patient at Royal London Hospital
Tom Dening, professor of dementia research at the University of Nottingham, said there were many reasons for the spike in home deaths, ‘including people not feeling able to attend their GP surgeries, call an ambulance or attend A&E.
He added: ‘Therefore, some serious conditions may present too late for effective treatment.
‘Another possibility is that some people with serious conditions, like cancer or chronic kidney disease, are either unable or unwilling to attend hospital on the usual regular basis, so their treatment regimes may lapse.
‘Some people confined to their homes are likely to be drinking and smoking more, or eating less healthily, and this may also contribute to health problems, including accidents, around the home.’
People with diabetes or high blood pressure may struggle to manage their condition if GP surgeries are closed, he added.
Appointments have moved to over the phone or video call, but managing unstable conditions is much harder remotely than with face to face attention.
Robert Dingwall, a professor of social sciences at Nottingham Trent University, said the strain of the outbreak on the NHS was resulting in heart attacks or stroke patients not being treated quickly enough.
Figures show thousands of heart attack and stroke victims are waiting at least two hours and 20 minutes for an ambulance during the crisis.
Emergency response times are the worst on record as paramedics face a surge in demand at a time when many are off sick.
Patients with suspected heart attacks or strokes are bearing the brunt as they are bumped further down the priority list behind the growing number of virus call-outs.
They are classified as ‘category 2’ calls and should have an 18-minute target response time.
Professor Dingwall said some deaths may reflect an increase in suicides or stress-related physical disorders as a result of lockdown and unemployment.
But he said it was too early to say this was the case for sure due to how those deaths are investigated.
There are also concerns the disruption to daily life will drive people to drink more alcohol, smoke or eat unhealthily.
Meanwhile, The Mail revealed yesterday that up to 2,700 cancers were being missed every week because patients were avoiding seeing their GP or not attending screening.
Cancer Research UK said the numbers being referred by doctors for urgent hospital appointments or checks had dropped by 75 per cent since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
Sarah Woolnough, from the charity, said about 2,300 cancers were being missed every week as a result, and many patients’ operable cancers would become inoperable if they remained undetected.
Separate figures estimate that another 400 cancers a week are being missed because screening for breast, cervical and bowel cancer has been suspended.
Sarah Woolnough, from Cancer Research UK (pictured), said about 2,300 cancers were being missed every week as a result of the coronavirus crisis. She warned many patients’ operable cancers would become inoperable if they remained undetected
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said yesterday it was ‘absolutely critical’ for heart attack and stroke victims as well as children with asthma to continue to seek medical help.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced today that residents in long-term care facilities account for up to half of coronavirus-related deaths in Europe.
Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said there was a ‘deeply concerning picture’ emerging of the impact COVID-19 is having on those in care.
He told a press conference on Thursday that the way some care facilities operate is ‘providing pathways’ for the virus to spread within the population.
Dr Kluge said: ‘According to estimates from countries in the European region, up to half of those who have died from COVID-19 were resident in long-term care facilities. This is an unimaginable human tragedy.’
Asked how many of Europe’s care home deaths were from the UK, Dr Catherine Smallwood told the briefing the WHO has not yet been provided with the latest up-to-date figures.
The sentiments echoed those shared by the Government’s Chief Medical Officer, professor Chris Whitty, who said he was ‘sure we will see a high mortality rate sadly in care homes, because this is a very, very vulnerable group’.
He told reporters on Wednesday that the 826 deaths reported in England and Wales by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the week ending April 10 were ‘an underestimate’.
These latest figures bring the total number of Covid-19 care home deaths since the start of the outbreak to 1,043.
Care home bosses have expressed concerns over acquiring personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing, and one said that some types of equipment are up to 24 times more expensive than they were before the pandemic.
Dr Kluge said that PPE should be provided, and testing of any suspected cases in care facilities should be ‘prioritised’.
He said that staff working in care homes need to start being paid ‘appropriately’, as they are ‘often overstretched, underpaid and unprotected’.
Dr Kluge also told the briefing that 50 per cent of the world’s COVID-19 cases – over 1.2 million – have been recorded in Europe and more than 110,000 people have died.
The news comes as the Government is trying to recruit thousands more people to work in social care as the sector faces ongoing pressures due to the pandemic.
Job sites including Indeed and Monster have offered to help fill the vacancies. Minister for care, Helen Whately said: ‘We want to bring together all those thinking they might work in care with social care providers looking for new recruits and to make it as simple as possible for the doors to open up for thousands more compassionate and committed people to work in care.’