I feel totally betrayed.. I haven’t even received a single phone call
A grieving daughter whose mum died alongside 20 others in a care home feels “totally betrayed” after hearing nothing from police or prosecutors.
Caroline Grattan believes the policy of discharging patients from hospitals to homes could have caused 88-yearold Margaret Johnston’s death in May 2020.
She said: “I feel totally betrayed that these investigations appear not to be moving forward in any meaningful way.
“We were promised it was being taken seriously and that the police and Crown
elsewhere during this crisis appear to be making such slow progress.”
A Crown Office spokesman insisted the Covid Deaths Investigation Team was probing the circumstances of each death and would keep families updated on “significant developments”.
He said 18 staff had been allocated to the team, including nine lawyers, and that the new Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain had appointed dedicated Crown Counsel to provide direction and instruction.
Costs incurred during 2020-21 were £ 603,841 and the allocated budget for 2021-22 is £971,785.
The spokesman said: “The Covid Deaths Investigation Team will work with the relevant agencies to ensure that all necessary and appropriate enquiries are made as quickly as possible.”
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland refused to say how many officers were dedicated to investigating Covid deaths or whether government ministers or public health of f icials would be interviewed.
She said: “For operational reasons, Police Scotland will not divulge how many officers are working on an investigation or who we have interviewed or intend to interview during it.”
A full public inquiry is also to be held into the pandemic and many families who lost loved ones intend to launch civil court actions.