POLICE PROBE COVID DEATHS AT CARE HOMES
Officers launch investigation at homes where 19 residents were killed by virus – and criminal charges could follow
POLICE have launched inquiries at two Scottish care homes where large numbers of residents have been killed by coronavirus.
At one facility on Skye, where the disease has claimed the lives of ten residents, police are investigating the deaths of three elderly women.
Inquiries are under way at another home outside Glasgow where nine residents have died.
The move by police raises the possibility that criminal prosecutions could, for the first time, be brought in relation to the hundreds of Covid-19 deaths in Scottish care homes.
It comes amid a deepening political row, with the Scottish Government under increasing pressure over the soaring numbers of nursing home deaths and a failure to test elderly patients who were being discharged into homes from hospital.
Scotland’s chief prosecutor announced this month that all deaths from coronavirus of key workers and care home residents would be studied to establish whether further action should be taken or more
inquiries held. Last night, the Crown Office and Police Scotland confirmed they had launched an investigation into the deaths of three women, aged 84, 86 and 88, at Home Farm care home on Skye.
Ten residents are said to have died from Covid-19, while tests showed 30 residents and 29 staff infected with the virus.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘We can confirm we are investigating the circumstances of the deaths of three women, aged 84, 86 and 88, at Home Farm Care Home on Skye. Inquiries are continuing.’
A spokesman for the Crown Office said: ‘The system of investigation of deaths in Scotland by the procurator fiscal is driven by the aim of preventing deaths in similar circumstances in the future.
‘The situation created by this pandemic is unlike any other in our lifetimes and it has needed a response which continues to develop. The investigation into the deaths is ongoing and the families will continue to be kept updated in relation to any significant developments.’
Home Farm’s owner HC-One, which operates around 300 care homes in the UK, is involved in a civil battle with the Care Inspectorate, which had sought cancellation of its licence due to alleged negligence.
A decision on its registration will be taken by a sheriff in Inverness next month. A report on Home Farm by the Care
Inspectorate in November warned that staffing levels were not adequate.
A follow-up in January, before Covid-19 struck in Scotland, said staff numbers fluctuated across different days of the week and times of the day and were not linked to the needs of residents.
Although staff had been recruited since November, some residents were still waiting too long for help and ‘not receiving the care and support they needed’.
Last night, a spokesman for HC-One said: ‘We are committed to co-operating fully with any investigations into the coronavirus-related deaths.
‘We recognised that improvements were needed at Home Farm and apologise to our residents, their families, and the local community. The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our top priority and we have already made significant progress.’
Police Scotland also confirmed last night that ‘an investigation is under way regarding complaints relating to Springvale Care Home in Lennoxtown, Glasgow’.
The force said its inquiries are ongoing and ‘all relevant partners and families are being kept informed’.
Springvale hit the headlines in April after a flurry of nine deaths in a fortnight was reported in the first half of the month.
Staff raised concerns at the time about a lack of PPE equipment and claimed new residents continued to be admitted to the home.
A spokesman for Springvale Care Home said: ‘We take the health and safety of residents in our care extremely seriously. As a responsible business we give our full support and co-operation to any request from the authorities and will continue do so as and when we are contacted by them.’
There have been 1,618 coronavirus deaths in care homes, according to the latest National Records of Scotland figures from May 17. That is almost half the Scottish total – a far higher proportion than is known to be the case in England.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman admitted last week that 921 patients had been discharged from hospital to care homes without being tested for Covid-19, potentially taking the killer virus with them.
In the past four weeks, more people have died from the virus in care homes than in hospitals. Nicola Sturgeon has promised extra testing of care home staff and residents, but Ms Freeman has come under increasing pressure, with the Scottish Tories calling for her to resign.
Yesterday, Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said the latest developments were ‘extremely worrying’ and ‘will alarm staff, patients and their families’, adding: ‘Devastated families and dedicated care workers need answers.’
Scottish Labour said Ms Freeman had serious questions to answer about the rate at which elderly patients were dispatched from hospital to care homes without proper testing.
The Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, announced this month that the Crown Office was setting up a dedicated unit to examine Covid-19 deaths. Investigators will try to establish whether any of the deaths were avoidable.
They will examine management, staffing levels and issues around whether the provision of protective clothing and testing of staff and patients was adequate. One possibility is that Fatal Accident Inquiries could be held to ensure lessons are learned. But if negligence or wrongdoing is suspected, prosecutors could choose to use health and safety law to bring a charge of corporate homicide.
Yesterday, a well-placed source said: ‘There has been a backlash from families who are entitled to know whether the lives of their loved ones could have been prolonged if those entrusted with their care had dealt with it better.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Our thoughts remain with residents, families and staff affected by coronavirus, including those at care homes.’
‘Devastated families and care workers need answers’