Short thread: a lot of people have been asking whether the data on people dying from #COVID19 can be broken down by disability - vital for tracking inequities as they emerge so practice and policy can do something about it 1/6 https://twitter.com/Rebeccasmt/status/1247457159656464384

So far people asking this question have drawn a blank - now the redoubtable @Rebeccasmt from @HSJnews has got a response from @NHSEngland saying that they do this tracking but they decline to make it public or share it 2/6

It would be good for @NHSEngland to provide a rationale for why they have not (yet) published or shared these analyses. There could be good reasons, like:
1) The numbers of people in particular groups might at the moment be so small that individuals could be identifiable 3/6

2) @NHSEngland don't think the data are reliable enough to release yet
3) The data, if only from hospitals (including mental health inpatient units?), will underestimate the number of people in particular groups who have died in the absence of @ONS data from other places 4/6

But to me, when there are such widespread anxieties and concerns about how disabled people are being supported and are likely to be treated (or not) if they develop Covid-19 symptoms, I would have thought the presumption should be transparency 5/6

Such information, shared and published now, could be timely enough for services to change tack where things obviously aren't working, rather than waiting until it's too late. #COVID19 6/6