Marie Curie responds to news of 100,000 extra deaths in private homes

Responding to the news from Hospice UK and Press Association that there has been More than 100,000 extra deaths in private homes in UK since pandemic began, Dr Laura Chapman, the Medical Director at the Marie Curie Hospice, Liverpool, says:

"Today's analysis backs up what family carers have been telling us since the first lockdown. The majority of carers told us that their loved one had unmanaged symptoms and struggled alone during evenings and weekends without support at home before they died. As time passes, we're beginning to see the extent of the hidden crisis that families are facing behind closed doors. The Government must recognise this isn't solely a pandemic issue. Covid-19 has merely accelerated the number of people dying at home. Lessons must be learnt from the last two years to ensure we avoid generations of people in future dying unsupported and in pain, and to avoid a nation perpetually in the thrust of a traumatic grief pandemic."