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The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have unearthed some shocking truths about the standards of care home training in some facilities in the UK.

The ONS revealed that over the last five years (between 2005 and 2009):

• 667 elderly care home residents died of dehydration
• 157 residents died of malnutrition
• 1,444 died because of pressure ulcers also known as bedsores
• 1,928 deaths were linked to the hospital superbugs MRSA and Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff)
• 4,881 died following a fall
• 4,866 died of blood poisoning

Commenting on the statistics, National Pensioners Convention (NPS) spokesperson Neil Duncan-Jordan said:

“That people are dying from these sorts of causes is absolutely shocking in the 21st century.
The cost of staying in a care home is huge – the average is between £600 and £800 a week.
All of us would want higher standards of service for £800 a week.”

These statistics also highlight the crucial importance of ensuring homes are staffed with workers who have undertaken specialist care training courses so that these kinds of deaths can be avoided. Nutrition awareness, infection control and MRSA/C.Diff awareness are generally all covered as part of care courses which meet Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards.