The Welsh Conservatives’ Shadow Minister for Social Care - Janet Finch-Saunders MS - has today (11 May) spoken of her alarm at statistics which show that social care workers are at an increased risk of COVID-19 related death, compared with other occupations.
Analysis from the Office of National Statistics shows that care workers had significantly raised rates of death involving COVID-19, with rates of 23.4 deaths per 100,000 males (45 deaths) and 9.6 deaths per 100,000 females (86 deaths). The provisional data also indicates a higher level of risk to male social care workers, when compared to their female counterparts.
The social care industry remains particularly hard-hit by the pandemic. A total of 131 COVID-19 related social care worker deaths were registered in England and Wales up to, and including, 20 April 2020.
Speaking of the statistics, Janet Finch-Saunders MS said:
“I am deeply troubled by this recent ONS analysis which shows an increased risk of death among social care workers, compared with other professions.
“Equally concerning is the disparity in death rates across genders, with statistics showing that male social care workers are at particularly high risk.
“The Welsh Government must take this data seriously and speed up the pace at which they are reacting. Welsh Ministers must make the protection of our social care workers a clear priority, by increasing testing throughout all residential care homes and expediting requests for personal protective equipment.
“We must all remember that behind every statistic was a selfless and hardworking care giver. My thoughts remain with those who have lost an irreplaceable friend, colleague, sibling or child.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
- The group included in the ONS analysis comprised of occupations such as care workers and home carers, which accounted for most of the deaths (98 out of 131 deaths, or 74.8%), social workers, managers of residential care institutions and care escorts.
- The ONS analysis, up to 20 April 2020, factored in age but did not take account of people's ethnicity, location, wealth or underlying health conditions.
