Millions of people who depend on social care will be at particular risk from the coronavirus due to their age or underlying health conditions.

I am seriously concerned that deaths of people in care homes linked to coronavirus are not being reported in a timely manner. The ONS statistics published this week show just 20 deaths of care homes residents due to the virus.

However, the media is reporting that care home providers believe the true figure is likely to be close to 1,000 deaths.

The government must put in place a system to ensure that deaths relating to coronavirus outside of hospital, including in care homes, are collected and reported regularly to the Department of Health and Social Care and published daily alongside deaths in hospitals.

Accurate and timely reporting of deaths is essential to tackling coronavirus effectively and saving as many lives as possible. Reporting which care homes have cases of coronavirus will also enable the government to focus its efforts on ensuring all care staff get the PPE and testing they need.