Health Minister urged to reveal number of people dying in care homes due to coronavirus
A social care leader is urging Health Minister Vaughan Gething to publish the number of people dying in care homes after contracting coronavirus.
The official death toll has been criticised for only covering people who die in hospital - but not those in care homes or in their own houses.
Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, says the lack of information on fatalities has 'pushed care homes and care companies to the back of the queue for resources', including protective equipment, testing and funding.
Earlier this week the Health Minister said 75 homes in Wales had a confirmed Covid-19 case and 217 had suspected cases but he did not reveal how many of them had passed away.
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Mr Kreft added: "Wales has very well run care homes with well trained staff who are heroically working on the front line but we are now in the midst of a perfect storm.
“It’s therefore vitally important for us to see the whole picture regarding loss of life so we can mitigate and sustain these vital community assets.”
First Minister Mark Drakeford says the reporting mechanism regarding deaths in care homes in Wales is 'a week or two behind' as it relies on death certificates which take a while to make their way through the system.
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