Liz Kendall MP, Shadow Minister for Social Care, responding to the ONS’ statistics on deaths from Covid-19, said:

“The increase in Covid-19 deaths in care homes is extremely worrying, but the true picture will sadly be even worse because these figures are only up to the week ending the 3rd April.

“We urgently need these figures on a daily basis to help deal with the emerging crisis in social care and ensure everything possible is being done to protect more than 400,000 elderly and disabled people who live in nursing and residential care homes.

“The Government has rightly said the NHS will get whatever resources it needs to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. This must also apply to social care, which needs a much greater priority and focus than it has had so far.

“It is vital that at today’s press conference, Ministers set out precisely how they are keeping care home residents safe and when care staff will get the PPE and testing they desperately need.”