CARE home deaths in Wales are up almost 50 per cent on last year, new figures reveal.

The statistics, from Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), reveal they have been notified of 5,232 deaths in adult care home residents since March 1.

This is 41 per cent higher than deaths reported for the same time period last year, and 34 per cent higher than for the same period in 2018.

Those numbers covers deaths from all causes, not just coronavirus.

CIW have received notification of 823 deaths in care home as a result of coronavirus.

Of those deaths, 408 were confirmed cases, while 415 were suspected cases.

South Wales Argus:

Picture: Welsh Government/CIW

The last month has seen an increase in the amount of deaths in care homes, not in line with a rise in previous years.

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Though the rise remains far below the spike that was seen in April and May earlier this year.

Across the year, care homes in Gwent have registered 138 deaths in care homes related to coronavirus.

South Wales Argus:

Care homes in Newport have lost 57 residents to coronavirus over the course of pandemic, the most in Gwent.

In Monmouthshire, 29 residents have died as a result of Covid-19, while the figure is 24 in Blaenau Gwent and 20 in Caerphilly.

Eight deaths of care home residents have been registered in Torfaen care homes due to coronavirus.

However, CIW say that between March 1 and November 6, just two thirds of care home resident deaths have occurred in the care home.

South Wales Argus:

CIW say that since October, the number of COVID-19 related deaths notified to CIW has been increasing.

Across Wales, more deaths have been registered in care homes in the last three weeks, than in the the three months prior to that.

While Gwent care home coronavirus deaths account for almost one quarter of the coronavirus deaths in care home setting across Wales.