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May 2020

Last Updated: 15/05/2020

Nearly a quarter of Harrogate care home deaths involved coronavirus

by Connor Creaghan

| 15 May, 2020

The new way of counting the care home deaths comes as one care home in Harrogate says it has lost six people to coronavirus and 16 others have died without being tested.

Nearly a quarter of Harrogate care home deaths from the beginning of March involved coronavirus, new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.

From March 6 to May 1 there were 221 deaths registered in the town's care homes and, in the same period, 54 of those deaths involved covid-19.

This new data includes deaths where coronavirus was mentioned on the death certificate but was not necessarily the main cause of death.

Previously ONS data from the same period up to May 1 showed there had been 43 deaths in Harrogate's care homes where coronavirus was recorded as the actual cause of death.

Now when the ONS also factors in deaths where COVID-19 was not necessarily the cause of death but involved, Harrogate's care homes have had 54 deaths - a 25% increase.

The difficulty in establishing the extent of the crisis in Harrogate's care homes

The new statistics have also revealed the challenge of recording deaths in care homes, where people may already be on end of life care.

Southlands care home in Harrogate has faced that challenge after recording six confirmed coronavirus deaths but a further 16 of its residents died before testing was available.

Sandra Hustwick, Regional Director for Southlands care home said:

"Very sadly, we have lost six residents who tested positive for COVID-19. A further sixteen residents passed away before testing was available, though a number of these were expected as they’d been receiving end of life care prior to the outbreak.

"The past months have been exceptionally challenging but the team has pulled together to deliver the best possible care and our home has been entirely free of COVID-19 for the past two weeks. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those affected. I would like to say thank you to residents’ friends and families, as well as the wider community, who’ve all been so supportive."