CARE HOME DEATHTOLL
More than 60 people died in local facilities after positive test
The tragic impact of the coronavirus on Rutherglen and Cambuslang’s most vulnerable has been revealed.
Stats released at the weekend show 64 people passed away in local care homes in the past year after testing positive for Covid-19. Nearly half the deaths occurred at Rutherglen Care Home on Rodger Drive, where 29 residents died – the second highest total recorded by any care home in Scotland.
Director of Health and Social Care at South Lanarkshire Council, Val de Souza, pictured left,said: “Every life lost during Covid is a tragedy.”
More than 60 care home residents in Rutherglen have passed away after testing positive for coronavirus.
Nearly half of the 64 registered deaths were in Rutherglen Care Home on Rodger Drive, which recorded 29 deaths – the second-highest number in the whole of Scotland.
A total of 267 deaths occurred across the whole of South Lanarkshire, with Rutherglen and Cambuslang the secondhighest area affected, behind East Kilbride, where 80 deaths were registered.
The harrowing figures were revealed following a Freedom of Information request, and came days after the Scottish Government admitted that “mistakes” were made in discharging hospital patients to care homes early on in the pandemic, without having tested them for the virus.
Flemington Care Home in Cambuslang saw 16 residents pass away after positive tests, while Cathkin House Care Home registered eight deaths, and Georgia Park Care Home six deaths.
A number of other homes each registered one death each.
Clare Haughey, the SNP politician who served as the MSP for Rutherglen and Cambuslang during the pandemic, has confirmed an inquiry into the crisis will be held by the end of the year.
She said: “Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on the most vulnerable in society. Like thousands of families across Scotland, and millions worldwide, I’ve lost a loved one to coronavirus. I know the pain and anguish many have experienced.
“The Scottish Government has been very upfront. With the benefit of knowledge we have now but did not have at the time, we have made mistakes, including with social care.
“With care homes, we placed a huge emphasis on infection prevention and control, and isolation measures. However, as we learned more about the virus, for example with asymptomatic transmission, we changed our approach.
“Sadly, too many people in care homes died and we must be candid about that.
“The First Minister has committed to establishing a National Care Service to improve standards. Additionally, we will launch a person-centred, judgeled public inquiry into the handling of Covid-19 – including the situation in care homes. The voices of those who have lost family members will have an active role in the process.”
Rutherglen Care Home’s 29 deaths were behind only Erskine Care Home in Renfrewshire for the most in Scotland.
However, staff there point to the large size of the facility for the high numbers.
A spokesperson for Rutherglen Care Home said: “We are proud to operate some of the largest care homes in Scotland, homes that are often more than four times larger than the average Scottish care home. Rutherglen is one of the largest care homes in the UK with some 225 registered beds.
“When adjusted for the greater than average size of our homes, regrettably, the number of Covid-19 deaths was broadly in line with that experienced by the sector as a whole.
“In the first months of the pandemic comparatively little was known regarding the asymptomatic nature of the spread of the disease, and we did not have access to today’s robust testing system.
“Despite these challenges, we answered the urgent call to support NHS Scotland to make beds available for discharged patients.
“We have heard in recent days the Scottish Government acknowledge that ‘mistakes’ were made in ensuring that care homes were as ready as they could have been to receive the hundreds of people who were discharged from NHS hospitals. All of our homes were as well prepared as they could have been at the time the pandemic started, and forward planning meant that we never faced a shortage of PPE.”
Labour’s James Kelly has called for those responsible to be “held to account” for the amount of deaths. He said: “The SNP catastrophically failed to keep our care homes safe and thousands of people have now paid the price of their decision.
“Rutherglen Care Home was the second most affected by this across the country, and our community has been hit hard by these losses. This tragedy must never be repeated and those responsible for it must be held to account.”
Director of Health and Social Care at South Lanarkshire Council, Val de Souza, said: “Every life lost during Covid is a tragedy. Equally, we are saddened by all deaths that occur in our care homes, from any cause and at any time, even though inevitably this is a situation that our staff have to face on a regular basis.
“However, we take comfort in the fact that our care homes and their staff have a commendable record of providing excellent levels of care to so many people in their later years.”