Figures for England and Wales show that since March around 26,000 more people than usual have died at home.Most of these deaths were not related to Covid-19.Instead, they were caused by heart disease, lung cancer, dementia and other conditions.While hospitals and care homes saw huge spikes in deaths, mainly from Covid during April and May – these reduced to lower than average levels during the summer.However, in private homes the opposite happened – and more deaths occurred there than the average over the past five years.Increases in deaths from heart disease were particularly marked in men, while deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s saw the largest increase in women.It looks like these deaths would normally have happened in hospital.So are people being put off going, being told not to come for treatment or choosing to stay at home?And how many of these lives could have been saved if they had gone to hospital?These are all important questions ahead of a busy winter for hospitals juggling the second Covid wave and the healthcare needs of all other patients. (BBC)