NICOLA Sturgeon has refused to say when she first learned that hospital patients were moved into care homes despite testing positive for Covid, even suggesting it may never have happened.
Asked about her personal knowledge of the hugely controversial practice, the First Minister said: “I don’t have that information.”
Earlier this month, based on freedom of information requests, the Sunday Post reported that at least 37 patients in five health boards were knowingly moved from hospitals to care homes after testing positive early in the pandemic.
At the time, ministers were keen to move delayed discharge patients into care homes to free up beds in readiness for a surge in Covid cases.
The opposition parties said the practice was “almost beyond belief”, given it could have exposed staff and residents to the virus.
Almost half of Scotland’s 4,213 Covid deaths have been in homes.
The Government had previously confirmed 1,431 untested patients were moved to care homes March 1 and April 21, before testing new residents became mandatory.
However freedom of information requests found 300 patients were tested prior to discharge, 37 of whom were positive but were still transferred to care homes while potentially infectious.
The largest number were were in NHS Ayrshire & Arran (17), then NHS Grampian (7), Tayside (6), Fife (4) and Lanarkshire (3).
Asked at FMQs on Wednesday when she first knew Covid-positive patients were transferred to homes, Ms Sturgeon sidestepped the question by saying she didn’t know about individual cases.
She told Holyrood Tory leader Ruth Davidson: “I do not know the clinical condition of patients who are being discharged from hospital to their homes, community settings or care homes. That is not information that ministers would have.”
At the daily briefing, Ms Sturgeon was asked simply when she first knew, without reference to clinical details, that some Covid-positive patients were moved into homes.
She replied “I don’t have that information” and then immediately switched to talking about a wider research project.
Pushed on whether she knew of the practice before the Sunday Post report, she said: “We have asked Public Health Scotland to do the analysis that gives us the information that people are asking for.
“So when - if - patients were discharged from care homes when they had Covid; whether, if that is the case, then whether in those cases they were discharged after they had recovered from Covid or whether they were discharged into care homes when they had Covid.
“If, in the latter situation, what were the reasons for that. Was there a clinical rationale for that.
“Now, we are, I think the only government in the UK that has commissioned an in-depth analysis of this that will enable us to provide that information in full.
“And I actually think that is the right thing to do.
“But I am not party to clinical decisions that are taken, and that’s not about naming people, it’s about not being party to any of the clinical decisions that are being taken.”
“But I want to understand the decisions that are made over the course of this and what the implications of those might be so that we can be accountable for that.
“But also so that we can learn any lessons.”
She said Public Health Scotland would complete its work by the end of next month, and it would be set out to Holyrood.
She said: “It is important for us to do that so that I have the understanding and I can share the understanding with others.”
Ms Sturgeon has promised a public inquiry into the handling of the Covid crisis, but set no date.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel