Break in care due to Covid will ‘hasten death’
Some people with profound and multiple learning disabilities will die earlier or suffer lifelong problems because care they needed was interrupted during the pandemic, an inquiry has heard.
The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry was told on Wednesday that for some people, the postural care they required was so compromised due to Covid restrictions it will “hasten their death”.
The inquiry heard evidence from representatives of the charity Promoting A More Inclusive Society (PAMIS), which works to support people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and their families.
Pat Graham, chairwoman of PAMIS, said the lack of support was “absolutely devastating” for families following the first lockdown which began on March 23, 2020.
Ms Graham, whose 35-year-old daughter has a profound learning disability, said: “In normal times, non-pandemic times, in a
PMLD family you build a framework and it is a really fragile framework.
“That framework depends on input from social work, the NHS, allied health professionals, schools, day services, respite and short breaks, housing support, and the third sector. On March 23, that framework just collapsed around our ears.”
Ms Graham said many people are still feeling the impact of doing without services during the pandemic such as postural care, which is important for people with mobility issues.
She told the inquiry: “We know of instances where individuals’ postural care was so compromised that they have died, or their quality of life was significantly reduced, and it will hasten their death.” Jenny Miller, chief executive of PAMIS, said PMLD families felt invisible and “side-lined”, and their needs were not understood by authorities during the pandemic.
23 The first lockdown began on March 23, 2020