Deaths in care homes and due to falls, fractures, and dementia: 2016 to 2026

Dyddiad y datganiad:
2 September 2026

FOI reference: FOI-2026-3684 

You asked

I would be grateful if the Office for National Statistics could provide the following information, where held. 

1. Death occurring in care homes 

For each of the last ten calendar years, please provide: 

  • The total number of deaths occurring in regulated residential and nursing care homes in England.
  • A breakdown by age group.
  • A breakdown by sex.
  • A breakdown by primary cause of death where available. 

2. Deaths following falls or fracture 

For each of the last ten years, please provide: 

  • The number of deaths where a fall was recorded as a contributing factor.
  • The number of deaths where fractured neck of femur (hip fracture) was recorded as a primary or contributory cause.
  • The number of these deaths occurring in care home residents, where identifiable.

3. Dementia 

For each of the last ten years, please provide: 

  • The number of deaths where dementia was recorded as the underlying cause of death. 
  • The number where dementia was listed as a contributory condition. 
  • The proportion of these deaths occurring in care homes. 

4. External causes of injury 

Please provide annual data relating to deaths resulting from: 

  • Assault. 
  • Falls. 
  • Accidental injuries. 
  • Other external causes, where the deceased was resident in a care home, if this information is held. 

5. Mortality following hip fracture 

Please provide any national statistics or analyses relating to: 

  • Mortality within 30 days following hip fracture. 
  • Mortality within one year following hip fracture. 
  • Outcomes for people aged over 65. 
  • Outcomes for people living with dementia. 

6. Life expectancy following hip fracture 

Please provide any published analyses examining: 

  • Reduced life expectancy following hip fracture. 
  • The impact of dementia on survival following hip fracture. 
  • Functional decline following hip fracture. 

7. Population demographics 

Please provide: 

  • Current estimates of the number of people living in regulated care homes in England. 
  • Numbers of residents aged over 65. 
  • Numbers of residents living with dementia, where available. 

8. Trends 

Please provide any reports or analyses examining trends over the last ten years relating to: 

  • Mortality in care homes. 
  • Falls in older people. 
  • Injuries in care home residents. 
  • Dementia prevalence within residential care. 

9. Published reports 

Please provide copies of, or links to, any ONS publications since 2020 relating to: 

  • Care home mortality. 
  • Dementia. 
  • Older people. 
  • Falls. 
  • Injuries. 
  • Healthy life expectancy for care home residents. 

10. Additional data 

If the Office for National Statistics holds any further datasets or analyses that would assist in understanding avoidable harm, injuries, mortality or safety within adult social care, I would be grateful if these could also be identified.

We said

Thank you for your request.

We are responsible for producing birth and mortality statistics using information collected at birth and death registration. We hold only the information recorded during the registration process, including details provided by the medical practitioner certifying the death and, where applicable, information supplied by a coroner regarding the cause and circumstances of death.

The death registration data we hold do not contain information that would enable us to fully answer questions 5 to 9, including information on outcomes following hip fracture, life expectancy after fracture, functional decline, the impact of dementia on survival, care home resident populations, falls experienced by older people, injuries in care homes, or dementia prevalence within care homes. This information is not collected as part of the death registration process.

Question 1. Deaths occurring in care homes  

Further information on the number of deaths by sex, age group, place of death and cause, for deaths registered between 2016 and 2025, along with other special extracts and tabulations of mortality data for England and Wales can be ordered as bespoke analysis, subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs. Such enquiries can be made to: Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.

Information on the total number of deaths due to dementia, external causes of mortality including accidents, falls, and assault for the years 2013 to 2024 is available from our explorable dataset available on our NOMIS web service.  Data for deaths registered in 2025 will be available in NOMIS in October 2026. These data provide figures based on underlying cause of death, which is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury".

The International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition (ICD-10) cause codes for the causes specified are:

  • external causes of morbidity and mortality: U509, V01-Y89  

  • accidents: V01-X59  

  • falls: W00-W19  

  • assault: X85-Y09  

  • dementias: F01-F03  

  Instructions for use of this service:   

  • select geography (England and Wales, regional, or by local authority)   

  • select age (all ages, or five-year age bands)   

  • select gender (total, or male or female)   

  • select rates (all births, rates, or percentage of population, for example)   

  • select the ICD10 code for the underlying cause of death   

  • select format (Excel or CSV, for example)   

Question 2. Deaths following falls or fractures 

Information on the total number of deaths where a fall was recorded as the underlying cause of death can be obtained from our NOMIS web service.  

We have not produced any outputs where a fall or hip fracture was recorded as a contributory factor or mentioned on the death certificate. We may be able to create a custom output. Information on deaths where falls or hip fractures were mentioned on the death certificate, further broken down by place of, along with other special extracts and tabulations of mortality data for England and Wales are available to order, subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs. Such enquiries can be made to: Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.

Question 3. Dementia  

The total number of deaths where dementia was the underlying cause for deaths registered in each year 2015 to 2020 are available in this request. This information for deaths registered in each year from 2021 to 2024 can be obtained from our NOMIS web service. An update to this user request alongside information on the number of deaths where dementia was a contributing cause broken down by place of death can be ordered via our bespoke services. Such enquiries can be made to: Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.

Question 4. External causes of injury

The total number of deaths due to assault, falls, accidental injuries and other external causes, for deaths registered in each year from 2013 to 2024, can be obtained from our NOMIS web service. Further information on deaths due to these causes, including the place the death occurred, can be provided via our bespoke services. Such enquiries can be made to: Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.

Question 5. Mortality following hip fracture

We do not hold any information relating to the time period between hip fracture to death following hip fracture, or outcomes for people aged over 65 years or those living with dementia.

NHS England has published a 1.22 Hip fracture: incidence dataset, broken down by Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG),  which you may find useful.

The National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD), which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, reports mortality outcomes after hip fracture. 

Question 6. Life expectancy following hip fracture

Unfortunately, we do not hold any information on life expectancy following a hip fracture, the impact of dementia on survival following hip fracture, or functional decline of a person following hip fracture and we are unfortunately unable to source and relevant information. 

Question 7. Population demographics

Our Care home resident population, England and Wales: Census 2021 dataset provides information on the number of care home residents including geographic and age breakdowns. 

We are not aware of an official estimate for the number of care home residents living with dementia in England. 

Question 8. Trends  

Our weekly deaths dataset also provides information on deaths occurring in care homes by sex, age group, broad underlying cause and place of death.

We do not hold and further information relating to falls in older people, injuries in care home residents or dementia prevalence within residential care.

Question 9. Published reports  

All published reports relating to your request have been provided in this response. 

Question 10. Additional data 
We are not aware of any additional published ONS datasets or analyses relevant to your request beyond those identified in this response. 


For further information please contact Health.Data@ons.gov.uk

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