Marie Curie response to ONS figures

The Office for National Statistics released figures that show significantly more people are potentially dying from Covid-19 than we have seen so far. As many as one in five deaths in England and Wales are now occurring from Covid-19 or a death has been recorded as being due to respiratory disease, and more than a third of deaths from the virus may be occurring outside of hospitals.

Matthew Reed, Marie Curie Chief Executive, said:

“At Marie Curie we work alongside care homes and we know how upsetting an outbreak of coronavirus will be for staff who are understandably not accustomed to deal with death on this scale. Behind each statistic is a family whose loved one has died, who weren’t able to say goodbye and grieve properly. We must not forget these people.

“The Office for National Statistics figures released earlier today start to paint a harrowing picture of the coronavirus in our communities. With one-third of deaths occurring away from hospital, today’s figures bring into sharp focus the urgency needed to ensure that everyone providing care, be that in care homes or in the community like Marie Curie, are being listened to and are getting the PPE and support they need, which we know has not been the case.

“Marie Curie is experiencing the same daily battle obtaining PPE that others are facing. The Government must ensure that every service delivering care are properly prioritised for PPE so we can continue to care for dying people with and without Covid-19 away from hospital."