New figures have revealed that at least 3,400 care home residents have died of coronavirus over the course of the pandemic.
Yesterday the Crown Office released new data which shows the shocking breakdown of deaths home by home.
There have been deaths in 480 of the country’s care homes with some experiencing devastating outbreaks which left numerous people dead in their wake.
The greatest number of deaths were in Erskine Hospital for ex-service people in Bishopton, Renfrewshire where 32 residents lost their lives to the virus - however 25 care homes have seen the deaths of 20 or more residents, with six of these in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
A special Crown Office unit has been established to examine all deaths in care homes, the Daily Record reports.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has admitted mistakes were made during the pandemic.
She said discharging people from hospital to care homes in the early stages of the pandemic was one of those mistakes with more than 1,300 elderly people sent to care homes before a proper testing regime was in place.
There is no statutory obligation for homes to notify residents, or their families, of an outbreak or deaths.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said this would be the first time many families learned the true extent of what was happening in their loved ones’ care homes.
He said: “I warned at the time about the danger of admitting untested residents into care homes but the government insisted it was doing the right thing.”
An Erskine insider told the Daily Record last year that staff were not being provided with “correct” PPE.
She said: “We have been expected to use regular aprons and gloves and we are not being provided with appropriate masks.”
A spokesperson for Erskine, told the Daily Record : “We are and always have been extremely privileged to care for our frail and elderly residents. We know that continually hearing stories about Covid-19 deaths is harrowing for the families who have lost loved ones, and we deeply regret any additional distress they feel.
“Erskine has operated within Scottish Government guidelines and spared neither effort, nor resource in our whole team’s valiant, year-long battle against this terrible virus.”
They admitted: “ There may be lessons to draw from our pandemic experience in the future, but now is not the time, as continuing to care for our residents in a safe and secure manner is still our main priority.”
Here are the care homes in Edinburgh and the Lothians which recorded more than 20 deaths:
- Braid Hills, Edinburgh: 25
- Guthrie House, Edinburgh: 24
- Springfield Bank, Bonnyrigg: 23
- Victoria Manor, Leith: 23
- Drummond Grange, Lasswade: 21
- Drummohr, Musselburgh: 20
