The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Revelations must be probed: Labour
Scottish Labour has called on the lord advocate to urgently investigate confirmed Covid-19 cases being discharged into Scotland’s care homes.
In a letter to James Wolffe QC, the party’s health spokeswoman Monica Lennon urged him to look into the issue after it emerged in The Sunday Post that at least 37 people were moved from hospital to a care home after a positive test for the virus.
A unit set up in May is already investigating the number of deaths in Scotland’s care homes as a result of the pandemic and Ms Lennon has asked the lord advocate if the group will be looking into these revelations.
The Scottish Tories have now also called for an urgent inquiry into the matter, which they say should start this week.
Ms Lennon said: “Care homes deaths during the pandemic have been the crisis within a crisis.
“Tragically, thousands of older people have died and there must be accountability for decisions that led to the virus infiltrating care homes in the first place.
“It will be extremely distressing to impacted families to learn that Covid-19-positive patients were knowingly discharged from hospital to care homes, and the least they deserve is a commitment that this will be thoroughly investigated.
“The Scottish Government has failed to be transparent and that is unacceptable.”
Ms Lennon asked the lord advocate to look into whether Covid-19 patients being discharged to care homes was a widespread policy, who was aware of the practice and if care homes were aware of the positive test before residents were admitted.
She also said the number of Covid-19 cases and subsequent deaths caused by these discharges should be found out.
The Sunday Post said at least five health boards knowingly transferred patients to care homes around the time that lockdown was put in place in March.
It said at least 37 potentially infectious people were moved to residential homes in Ayrshire.
Donald Cameron, the health spokesman for the Scottish Tories, said “waiting is not an option” and an inquiry must be immediately called.
He said: “The horrendous decision to send dozens of Covid patients to care homes cannot be swept under the carpet any longer.
“Families of victims have been left in the dark about how their loved ones died.”