Transfer policy may have led to deaths, says FM

Sturgeon unable to rule out link between hospital discharges and care home toll

Nicola Sturgeon has said she acted with “thought and care” around the discharge of hundreds of untested hospital patients into care homes, but admitted she cannot rule out links to a deadly wave of coronavirus.

The first minister said with the benefit of hindsight she may have come to a “different conclusion” on whether to move so many vulnerable individuals who had not yet been tested for Covid19.

Official Scottish Government “delayed discharge” figures show 921 patients were released from hospitals into care homes in March alone, but mandatory testing of all new residents was not announced until April 21.

Hundreds of vulnerable people were moved out of wards in the early days of the pandemic to make room for an expected “tsunami” of Covid-19 patients.

The virus has now been reported in 60% of Scotland’s care homes, with 5,635 residents affected.

Asked during an interview on BBC Radio Scotland if she believed moving so many hospital patients into care homes had been a contributory factor in the crisis, Ms Sturgeon said: “If I apply hindsight to that, I come to a different conclusion.”

However, the first minister later appeared to row back on the statement after being challenged by journalists during her daily briefing in Edinburgh.

Ms Sturgeon said that with the benefit of hindsight she may have come to different decisions about “a range of things” in response to Covid-19.

After being reminded she had been challenged specifically on the 921 delayed hospital discharges, Ms Sturgeon was asked whether some hospital patients may have contracted the virus and died after being transferred into care homes.

She said: “I cannot say that for certain. I’m sure that is one thing we will want to absolutely look at and ask very serious questions about.

“But equally nor can I absolutely say that that will not be the case.”

The first minister said she “cannot foresee” circumstances where a decision could have been made to keep older people in hospitals who did not medically need to be there while facilities were “filling up” with cases of the virus.

“When you deal with something like this, there are no perfect options available to you, you have to do what you think is best based on the knowledge you have at the time and that’s what we sought to do,” Ms Sturgeon said.

Ms Sturgeon also used to her daily briefing to announce 2,273 people have now died from coronavirus in Scotland.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced that 2,273 people in Scotland have now died from Covid-19, an increase of three from the previous day.