Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on his Department's policies to tackle covid-19 of excluding covid-19 related deaths in (a) care homes and (b) other non-NHS settings from official statistics

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care is regularly updated with COVID-19-related deaths and has regular discussions about them with Cabinet colleagues.

On 29 April 2020 the Government introduced a new daily death reporting protocol which includes deaths that have occurred in all settings where there has been a positive COVID-19 test such as hospitals, care homes and the wider community. More information can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/daily-death-reporting-now-includes-all-positive-covid-19-deaths

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is also publishing stats from deaths registered in a given week, which include deaths outside hospital, including care homes and non-National Health Service settings. From 28 April 2020, the ONS will publish counts of deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes, based on reporting from care home operators to the Care Quality Commission. These figures will put deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes in proper context, alongside the ONS’s more comprehensive figures.