Three Covid-19 related deaths recorded at Morecambe Bay hospitals in last month

The latest death was recorded on June 27, with previous deaths recorded on June 20, and June 11, according to NHS England data.

By contrast, latest statistics from the Office for National Statistics show that across the Lancaster district in the week leading up to June 26 (but registered by July 4), there were 20 deaths recorded by means other than Covid-19 - five in care homes, seven at home, seven in hospital and one elsewhere.

UHMBT saw its peak of Covid-19 related deaths in the first week of the coronavirus crisis, when 18 were recorded at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary alone between March 27 and April 3, and - when death announcements nationally were changed to showing trust-wide figures only - the following week saw 37 deaths across the whole Morecambe Bay trust, and week 3 saw 30 deaths recorded.

Since then, numbers have thankfully dropped dramatically, with 15 deaths recorded across the trust in May and five in June, bringing the total to 167.

As of Monday July 6, 386 people had been discharged home from hospitals across Morecambe Bay following treatment for coronavirus.

The majority of people who contract the disease do not need hospital treatment.

The way deaths are announced nationally means only trust-wide figures are released by NHS England, and it now only includes data for a specific hospital trust on a daily basis if a death has been recorded.University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust includes the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal and Furness General Hospital in Barrow.

A Freedom of Information request submitted by the Lancaster Guardian to UHMBT has revealed that between March 1 and June 10, 82 Covid-19 related deaths had been recorded at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, while 83 had been recorded at Furness General Hospital.

Two deaths had been recorded at Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal - despite WGH being kept as a Covid-free site.

The first Covid-19 death recorded by UHMBT was on March 19 2020.

The NHS England statistics include patients who died in hospital - but not other places, such as care homes.