Probe into winter risk to care home residents
A Scottish Government probe is to examine whether care homes which escaped the first wave of Covid-19 this year face a greater risk over the winter.
Care home staff and l o c a l oversight teams will be interviewed as part of the work of a new review group.
I t h a s b ee n s e t u p to e va l - u a t e l o c a l ex p e r i e n c e s a n d r e s p o n s e s t o "wave t wo" o f Covid outbreaks in care homes in Scotland.
The probe comes after five d e a t h s w e r e r e c o r d e d a t Charnwood Lodge Care Home in Dumfries.
A n o t h e r r e c e n t o u t b r e a k at the Redmill Care Home in East Whitburn, West Lothian, resulted in the deaths of 11 residents.
The terms of reference for the review group states it will look into the second wave in care homes and will consider the "characteristics and risk f a c t o r s " o f o u t b r e a k s t h e r e based on the experiences of the first half of the year.
"This approach will ensure appropriate clinical and oper
ational guidance can be pre - pared for the sector."
The review, which will look at the situation from August onwards, will also "explore the hypothesis that care homes that were not affected by Covid to June 2020 are more at risk this winter”.
It will also look at contributory factors, wider lessons and emerging national and international evidence.
Recommendations will be made to inform future practice and local arrangements during the second wave of the pandemic.
The number of Covid deaths i n c a r e h o me s i n S c o t l a n d peaked at 343 weekly deaths at the start of May.