Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

How big is the problem in care homes?

How big is the problem in care homes?

The government has promised to step up testing for coronavirus in care homes where symptoms of the virus have been found.

But is it possible to get accurate figures about the scale of the problem?


How many deaths have there been in care homes?

This is difficult to calculate - there are more than 15,000 care homes in England, compared with about 200 hospitals.

Two of the UK's largest care home companies have provided the most up-to-date picture of what is happening in residential and nursing homes.

On Monday, HC-One, which operates 350 homes, said it had had 311 deaths linked to Covid-19, with outbreaks in two-thirds of its homes. The Methodist Homes Association reported 210 deaths in its 131 homes. Outbreaks occurred in about half of those homes.

There is a two-week time lag in the data collected for official statistics. The most recent figures from the Office for National Statistics are for the week ending 3 April. At that point, there had been 217 Covid-19-related deaths in care homes in England and Wales.

This means that about 5.3% of all COVID-19 deaths to that point had occurred in care homes - a high proportion, considering they house less than 1% of the country's population.

The time delay in these statistics has led some politicians to call for efforts to be made to provide daily figures, as with hospital deaths.

In Scotland, nearly a quarter of the 962 coronavirus deaths recorded up to 12 April were in care homes.

Northern Ireland's statistics body doesn't currently provide this breakdown.

England's care home regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), already has to be notified when there is a death in a care home. From this week it will also ask care providers to give daily updates on deaths and the number of confirmed and suspected coronavirus cases.


How many people live in care homes?

Most care homes in the UK are privately run, and there is no official data on the exact number of residents.

The CQC says there are 15,517 residential and nursing homes providing support for older and disabled people in England, with an estimated 457,361 beds available.

Occupancy rates seem to be about 90% which would suggest there are about 411,000 people living in care homes in England and Wales.

At the 2011 census, 60% of the elderly care home population were 85 or older - but this is now likely to be higher, given the ageing population.


How many people receive care in their own homes?

Each week in the UK, it is estimated that 540,000 people receive support in their own home. That adds up to a million home-care visits happening each day.

What's provided on these visits can range from help going to the toilet, to preparing a meal or support with medication.

Care workers can at times see up to 20 clients during a day. This has raised concerns about the danger of spreading coronavirus if the workers do not have enough personal protective equipment (PPE).


How much PPE do social care staff have?

The government's advice to care homes on personal protective equipment (PPE) is almost identical to that given to hospital workers - they should have single-use disposable gloves, aprons and face masks.

Care providers have been saying for some weeks that it is difficult to get enough of these items to keep their staff and clients safe.

The government says it has already delivered seven million items of PPE, meaning every registered care home should have received 300 face masks each.

From 6 April, 34 million items of PPE have been scheduled to be distributed to care homes via local authorities (although some equipment is earmarked for other key services).

These items include eight million aprons, four million masks and 20 million pairs of gloves.

The government has also released £1.6bn of funding to local authorities - which are in charge of providing social care - with instructions that most of this should reach the adult social-care sector.


How many tests are being carried out in care homes?

There is no current breakdown, but the government has now announced that as laboratory capacity increases, all care home residents who develop symptoms will be tested.

So far, only the first five residents in a care home who show symptoms of coronavirus are tested to confirm whether there is an outbreak within a home.

Patients returning to care homes from hospitals will also be tested for Covid-19, even if they have no symptoms.


Are staff being tested?

Testing was made available to social-care staff just before Easter.

To date, the government has tested 1,000 care staff and is due to test a further 1,000 who are currently self-isolating.

The government has said as capacity increases it will roll this out so that every care worker who needs a test can get one.

The care sector has always struggled to recruit enough staff because of its reputation for low pay and a lack of recognition - it's estimated that there are currently 122,000 full-time equivalent vacancies in England.

Those problems have been made more acute with staff having to self-isolate if they or a member of their family have shown potential symptoms.

Some care providers have reported having at least a quarter of their staff off as a result.

The government says it aims to recruit 20,000 extra social care staff over the next three months.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×