Care home lost one quarter of residents
ACARE home in which 20 residents died from confirmed or suspected Covid-19 is now free from the virus, according to bosses. Highgate Care Home, in Uddingston, has lost around one in four of its residents since March.
The last coronavirus death registered at the South Lanarkshire care home was on May 4 and in total 22 people have passed away during the worst of the pandemic.
However, chiefs say Highgate is now free from the virus while politicians clashed on testing in care homes.
A spokesperson from owners HCOne said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with all families who have lost a loved one from coronavirus and we are doing our utmost to support them during this difficult time.
“Caring for our residents and supporting our colleagues is at the heart of what we do, and we are doing everything we can to make sure our residents and colleagues stay safe and well throughout these challenging times.
“We have a comprehensive coronavirus contingency plan in place, which was created by our clinical director and reflects the latest government guidance.”
Shona Zellama, a nurse at the care home, said a resident “died every day” at the height of the outbreak in mid-March.
She told Channel 4 News: “Usually when somebody’s health has declined, we have an action plan and a care plan on how we’re going to deal with it.
“All we could do is prepare these people to pass.”
On May 1, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that all staff and residents in care homes with a confirmed case of coronavirus would be tested to stop the spread of the virus.
Statistics released by National Records Scotland released last week showed that 43 per cent of Covid-19 deaths registered to date have happened in care homes.
During First Minister’s Questions yesterday, Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw accused the government of “abject failure” in its response to care homes.
Raising the issue of Highgate, Mr Carlaw said: “It’s clear nothing like enough focus has gone on testing in care homes, and that has been a very costly mistake.”
When asked by Mr Carlaw if she thought the Scottish Government had failed care homes, Ms Sturgeon said: “No, I do not. I deeply regret every single death from this virus. We have dramatically increased our testing and our testing capacity.”