At least 37 hospital patients in Scotland were transferred to care homes across the country after testing positive for coronavirus, an investigation has revealed.
According to the Sunday Post, the move of patients back in to care homes came amid the 'critical weeks of lockdown' - at a time when the Covid-19 claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 residents.
The Scottish Government has confirmed that 1,431 untested patients were moved to care homes between March 1 and April 21, prior to testing of discharged patients becoming mandatory.
But the Sunday Post's investigation has revealed that at least 300 patients were tested in that same period prior to discharge to care homes, with at least 37 testing positive for coronavirus.
17 of the positive cases uncovered so far were in Ayrshire and Arran, seven in Grampian, six in Tayside, four in Fife and three cases in Lanarkshire.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde discharged 752 patients during this time period, but said it would be too expensive to check records to find out how many were tested and how many tested positive.
Back in May, we reported how coronavirus had claimed the lives of 22 residents at a Lanarkshire care home - with Highgate Care Home in Uddingston losing around one in four of its residents since March.
The care home is thought to have been the first in Scotland to experience a Covid-19 outbreak.
