Coronavirus: Deaths involving Covid-19 in care homes hit 145 in Hampshire, 20 in Portsmouth

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed 145 care home residents died in cases involving Covid-19 in the Hampshire County Council area between April 10 and April 24.

This was 24 more than the second worst hit area – Hertfordshire, and above West Sussex, which had 82. There have been 20 care home deaths in Portsmouth and 18 in Southampton in the same period.

The county council’s adult social care and health cabinet member, Councillor Liz Fairhurst, said the authority was working to help privately run care homes as well as its own.

She said: ‘Obviously we are concerned. Our staff do have the correct PPE and we're helping out the private sector where they don't have it ensuring they get the correct PPE.

‘Our distribution system is working very hard giving out some PPE from government and some from our own supply lines.

‘We are watching the situation very carefully and doing everything we can.

‘We have kept in touch with all the private care home owners and operators and we have a very good relationship with them.

‘We've been doing our best to help them including where if they've had staff shortages due to people self isolating we have sent some of our people in to help them where we can.’

There have been 2,689 Covid-19 cases in the Hampshire council area, 281 in Portsmouth and 444 in Southampton as of 5.30pm yesterday.

There are 16 care homes run by Hampshire council, which look after around 1,000 people, and approximately 500 private care homes in the county.

A worker from a Fareham-based private care home, who did not want to be named, said: 'We are in regular contact with the council and we have not experienced any problems with PPE.

'Luckily none of our staff or residents have symptoms of coronavirus but we are still exercising complete caution and sticking to the government guidelines.'

It comes after The News reported 14 deaths in Portsmouth City Council-run care homes last week, as well deaths of two residents from South Africa Lodge in Waterlooville who were admitted to QA Hospital.

Nationally fears have been raised about how care homes will continue to be affected.

Sam Monaghan, chief executive of care home charity Methodist Homes, said: ‘The ONS figures are finally beginning to show what we have known for some weeks now, that care homes are sadly the most affected area of society in terms of deaths from Covid-19.

‘Testing is only now starting to become more prevalent in care homes so we should start to know for certain the extent to which our care homes are being affected.’

So far there have been 186 coronavirus related deaths at QA Hospital.

Nearly a third of all care homes in England have reported coronavirus outbreaks, data from Public Health England shows.

Some 4,516 homes have reported outbreaks since March 17 up until Monday this week - around 29 per cent of the total care homes.

Portsmouth City Council was approached for comment.

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