166,000 people died at home in England and Wales last year; only 8% died of Covid-19

National Statistics data  indicates that more than 40,000 'excess deaths' were recorded in private homes in England and Wales in 2020 - but only 8% (3,221) were down to Covid as official data reveals the total number of fatalities was 14% higher than average. Experts said this was because many hospitals had been forced to clear beds for Covid patients. Experts say it's not clear whether excess home deaths are all a bad thing – many terminally ill people may choose to die at home rather than in hospital, but others may have missed out on pain relief or quality end-of-life care. ONS data showed 14 per cent more deaths from all causes were recorded in 2020 than average - the equivalent of 76,000 people. Covid was blamed for around 97 per cent of those excess fatalities. Heart disease was the leading cause of death in the home, followed by lung cancer and Dementia.  Dr Veena Raleigh, from healthcare think-tank The King’s Fund, said: 'This "displacement" of many deaths from hospital to home raises questions about whether Covid impaired people’s ability to choose where to spend their final days. Given this enormous death toll, and the grossly disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our poorest communities and ethnic minority groups, a public inquiry into how the pandemic was handled is urgently needed. While the NHS is delivering an admirable vaccination campaign, the pandemic isn't over yet – this year Covid-19 has already caused 57,000 deaths up to 23 April.'