The daughter of a woman who died with coronavirus after being moved between care homes says it “should never have happened”.
Margaret Laidlaw, 65, was diagnosed with Covid-19 in Midlothian, where she was transferred from an intermediate home “where she was happy”.
The experience was raised with Nicola Sturgeon by Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard today. He said the family are angry, criticised a lack of preparation and asked why hospital care was not available.
In a statement published by Labour, Margaret’s daughter said: “Mum was a lovely lady who lived for her family.
"We were told that we couldn’t visit to minimise the risk of Covid-19, however my mum was moved from a care home where she was happy to a care home where she didn’t know anyone and where she got Covid-19."
The statement continued: “This should never have been allowed, but the clinical guidance allowed for it to happen and it is still happening.
"If she was at home with us she would have been shielding, but guidance to care homes was different meaning that rather than mum being kept safe in one home, it was deemed acceptable to move to another home putting my mum at risk.
“At a time when the First Minister was saying about stay home to save lives, my mum wasn’t given that protection.
“My brothers and I want answers and we want to ensure that other families do not have to go through the same pain we currently are. I hope that the First Minister will listen to my family and the many other families who are demanding not just answers, but also action to prevent any more deaths from Covid-19.”
Leonard confronted Sturgeon over the policies around care homes during First Minister’s Questions.
He said had a copy of the clinical guidance, which gave advice saying residents in long-term care should be managed within their current setting rather than hospital.
Leonard called it a scandal and said: “Her family are angry. They want to know why – why the care home was so unprepared and they want to know why hospital care was not available.
“Sadly Margaret’s story has been all too common.”
Sturgeon said: “I can’t find the words to adequately sum up the sense of sorrow I feel and the depth of my condolences to them.”
She said she could not comment on individual cases without knowing the full details but she added: “They have a right to know what happened in the case of their loved ones and they have a right to question things that were done and not done.
“I have a very deep and strong commitment to doing what is required to facilitate that process.”
Sturgeon said clinicians decided on the best place of care for patients, which would be care homes for many older people.
