The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Grieving son blasts care homes move
LEVEN: Alan Wightman’s mother Helen died of Covid in May
Elderly people were “thrown out of the lifeboat” when hospital patients who tested positive for Covid-19 were moved to care homes, a bereaved son has claimed.
Alan Wightman said it was unforgivable that people who had been exposed to the virus were discharged into settings full of vulnerable people.
Mr Wightman’s 88-year-old mother Helen died of coronavirus at a Leven care home in May and he has called for a public inquiry into the situation across Scotland.
His comments follow revelations that almost 40 hospital patients nationwide, including four in Fife, were moved from hospitals to care homes after testing positive for the virus.
NHS Fife said nobody was discharged until at least 14 days after a positive test, in line with clinical and national guidance.
A grieving son has accused health chiefs of throwing elderly people “out of the lifeboat” amid shock claims patients with Covid-19 were knowingly transferred to care homes.
Alan Wightman, whose 88-year-old mother Helen died of the virus in May, said it was unforgivable that people who had tested positive were placed among vulnerable residents.
NHS Fife said fewer than five patients confirmed as having coronavirus were transferred to homes in the region but not until at least 14 days after the positive test.
It has not revealed which premises were involved but said they were admitted safely.
So far, five health boards have confirmed 37 positive patients were moved to care homes, including six by NHS Tayside.
Politicians have called for full disclosure, with Labour MSP Alex Rowley branding the move criminal and independent councillor Linda Holt accusing the Scottish Government of turning care homes into “death factories”.
Mrs Wightman was a resident of Scoonie House in Leven, described by Alan as well run, with staff doing everything they could under difficult circumstances.
“The blame lies far, far higher up the chain,” he said.
“Who decided it was a good idea to discharge a crowd of people who were either positive or exposed to the virus into a setting where there were already a lot of vulnerable people?
“The answer is nobody did. Nobody at government or health board level thought we should act smarter in the middle of a global pandemic and some 2,000 of our elderly people have paid the price.”
He added: “They threw our old people out of the lifeboat.
“They were in a protected area yet we threw them overboard to make way for others. I find it completely unforgivable.”
Alan, from Forfar, is a member of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Group which has called for a public inquiry into the situation in care homes, where almost half of all Scotland’s coronavirus deaths occurred.
Mr Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, has written to NHS Fife chief executive Carol Potter.
In his letter he says: “It is my view this is criminal and is why I am asking you to provide every bit of information you have on how many people were transferred from hospital into care homes.”
He said the information must be provided “in the interests of common decency”, including whether care homes knew those being transferred had tested positive and if risk assessments were carried out.
NHS Fife deputy chief executive Helen Buchanan said: “In line with national guidance, a small number of patients, less than five, were discharged to care homes in Fife who had previously tested positive for Covid-19.
“Importantly, no patients were discharged until at least 14 days after a positive test, when the clinical advice and national guidance was that patients could be safely admitted to care homes without causing unnecessary risk to the health of other residents or care home staff.”
Independent Fife councillor Linda Holt said she was shocked the premises involved had not been revealed and added: “People need to be told.”