MORE than 24,000 care home deaths were recorded between March and September compared to the five year average, ONS figures have revealed.

The statistics, for the whole of England, showed just nine per cent of the deaths were caused by Covid-19, but there were large increases in the number of dementia and Alzheimer's, cancer, and heart disease.

Deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in private homes in England have risen 79% during the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.

There were 2,095 excess deaths from these conditions registered between March 14 and September 11.

This is a rise of 79 per cent compared with the average recorded for the same period over the past five years, the Office for National Statistics said.

There were 24,387 excess deaths in private homes in England compared with the five-year average between March 14 and September 11. Deaths in care homes were above the average, while deaths in hospitals and hospices fell below it, suggesting the “distribution of deaths between the different places of occurrence has shifted”.

The figures show that the leading cause of death in private homes during Covid-19 was ischaemic heart disease.

In England, males accounted for 53.8 per cent of the excess deaths in private homes, with men and women aged between 70 and 89 accounting for the majority.

The leading cause of death for men was heart disease, accounting for 19 per cent of all male deaths in private homes. Deaths of men at home from heart disease rose 26 per cent compared with the five-year-average (1,705 additional deaths), with fewer dying in hospital.

Deaths from prostate cancer saw the biggest percentage change from the five-year average – a 53 per cent increase (801 additional deaths), and deaths from bowel cancer rose 46 per cent.

For women, the leading cause of death was heart disease, accounting for 10.5 per cent of all deaths in private homes. Deaths in private homes of women from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease increased by 75 per cent in England compared with the five-year average (1,335 additional deaths). Hospital deaths of women involving dementia and Alzheimer’s disease fell by 40.6 per cent.

Deaths from breast cancer were up 47 per cent.

Coronavirus was the seventh leading cause of death for men and 11th leading cause of death for women in England.

Sarah Caul, head of mortality at ONS, said: “While deaths in hospitals and care homes have dropped below the five-year average since the initial peak of the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve consistently seen deaths in private homes remain well above the five-year average.

“We have seen an overall increase of deaths as well as a redistribution of various causes of death. For instance, while deaths of heart disease are below average in hospital, it has been above average at home.

“It’s a similar picture when looking at prostate cancer for males and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for females. Unlike the high numbers of deaths involving Covid-19 in hospitals and care homes, the majority of deaths in private homes are unrelated to Covid-19.”