Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

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.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×