Covid care home restrictions in Scotland caused harm, says report

Severe restrictions imposed on care home residents in Scotland during the Covid pandemic caused "harm and distress" and may have contributed to some deaths, academics have said.

A 143-page report has been produced by Edinburgh Napier University. It had been commissioned by the independent inquiry into the country's handling of the pandemic.

The report says that the legal basis for confining residents to their rooms and banning visitors was "unclear".

And it said care home residents were arguably discriminated against compared to other citizens.

The report is 1 of 14 that have been published by the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry, which is chaired by Lady Poole.

It found that in the early months of the pandemic there was "little evidence" that the human rights of residents and their families had been considered.

It said: "There is substantial evidence of the harm and distress caused to residents and their families by the restrictions imposed in care homes.

"This includes concerns that, particularly for people with dementia, being unable to maintain contact with their family exacerbated cognitive and emotional decline, potentially hastening their death."

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Source: BBC News, 16 June 2022