Nine deaths at East Lothian care

Thousands of care home residents in Edinburgh and the Lothians are at risk from dying due to coronavirus, the Conservative shadow health minister has warned.

The warning came after tragedy hit Tranent Care Home in East Lothian where nine residents died in the space of ten days.

Fourresidentsarealsofeared to have died in two Edinburgh care homes.

Tworesidentsdiedinletham Park Care Home where other residents are also understood to be symptomatic.

All of the deaths have been linked to coronavirus, but not all of the patients were tested for the disease.

In Edinburgh and the Lothians there are 145 care homes, 85 in the city of Edinburgh, 28 in West Lothian, 19 in East Lothian and 13 in Midlothian.

In the Scottish capital alone, there are 353 care home residents in council partnership homes, with hundreds more in private homes across the region.

Lothian MSP and shadow health minister Miles Briggs said the situation was “gravely serious” and called for protective personal equipment (PPE) to be provided to care workers in care homes.

He said: “My condolences are with the families and friends of the care home residents in Tranent who have died from Covid-19.

“This is a gravely serious situation and care home staff across Edinburgh and the Lothians must be provided with full PPE equipment to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“Thousands of care home residents across Edinburgh and the Lothians are at high risk to coronavirus and every precaution must be taken to keep them safe.

“I have written to the cabinet minister for health to ensure appropriate measures are in place to keep care homes residents and staff safe.”

The scale of the potential impact to care home residents was starkly laid out after the UK’S chief medical officer said one in ten care homes are already reporting outbreaks of coronavirus.

The UK’S chief medical officer Chris Whitty said on Tuesday that cases of Covid-19 cases will rise among the elderly and that care homes will present one of the toughest challenges of the crisis.

Speaking at a Downing Street briefing on Tuesday, Mr Whitty said: “Care homes and nursing homes are going to provide us with some of the biggest challenges.

“We have seen already that over 9 per cent of care homes have reported cases.

“I regret to say I think the number will go up over time, despite excellent work by the care home staff.”

The deaths at Tranent Care Home follow other outbreaks at Castle View care home in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, where eight residents died after showing coronavirus symptoms, and Burlington care home in North Lanarkshire, where 13 died.

Owners HC-ONE said they would not comment on the number of deaths at the Tranent home.

They said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with those who have lost a loved one.

“We are doing what we can to support them. And we are working closely with our local health and care partners and continuing to take action to secure the medical equipment, PPE and supplies we need to protect residents and colleagues alike.”

“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.”

The spokesman said the home was stocked with thousands of PPE items in line with government guidance.

She said: “We are proud of our colleagues and how they have risen to the challenge of the coronavirus outbreak by showing huge dedication and commitment to our residents.

“We are providing roundthe-clock support for all our teams and we are also grateful to relatives for their ongoing support and understanding.”

A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said: “We are aware of the tragic deaths of residents at this care home as a result of suspected cases of Covid-19.

“Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those affected as well as the staff and wider community of the home.

“We have been notified of the circumstances and we are in contact with the care service and the local health and social care partnership during this difficult time.

“Care services across Scotland are working tirelessly under very challenging circumstances to care for people.

“The Care Inspectorate is working closely with care providers, health and social care partnerships, care industry leaders and the Scottish Government to ensure services get the support they need during the pandemic.”

The Scottish Government declined to comment on the deaths at the Tranent Care Home, but reiterated that care homes and families should follow the official guidance published by the NHS online.