A councillor whose father died in a Covid outbreak at a Skye care home is quitting politics to fight for justice.
John Gordon, who represents Skye, has confirmed he will not be standing again in the May election.
Mr Gordon’s father was one of 11 people to die during a Covid outbreak at Home Farm Care Home in Portree early in the pandemic.
Mr Gordon, who admitted he was still coming to terms with losing his father in such a public way, wants to dedicate his time to helping with any potential criminal case brought against the then care home operators HC One.
He also wants to focus on raising concerns about his dad’s death at the Scottish Government’s Covid inquiry.
Pandemic – and loss of dad- has taken its toll
Mr Gordon, who has been a councillor since 2012, said standing down was not a decision he had taken lightly – and that it had been an “honour and a privilege” to represent Skye.
He said, like many others, the pandemic has taken its toll – made worse by the loss of his 83-year-old dad John Angus Gordon.
He said: “My dad died in such a public way, with the world’s spotlight on Home Farm Care Home. It has taken its toll on me. It has taken a toll on everyone who has lost someone.
“Because people were left in the dark without any information about what was happening with Covid on Skye or in other care homes, I was the person they contacted.
“I tried to answer the many thousands of questions people had. But, no one was able to do that job. Not even the people who were supposed to be doing it.”
‘We believed Home Farm was leading the way’
Mr Gordon claimed that although council officers and the health social care committee were receiving daily updates, the information was not passed on to relatives of those in care homes.
“Here on Skye, we were told Home Farm had closed its doors to visitors,” he added. “They did this early, before the regulations came in.
“The provider at the time, HC-One, was one in which we all trusted. Because we had no information about what was really happening – we all believed it was leading the way.
“It was fine that we could not visit, because we believed they were doing the best for our loved ones.”
He claimed staff at the home were “fire fighting” and that some of them have lost their confidence and given up their jobs in care.
He added: “People who were blameless, some members of staff feel that they have the deaths of 11 people on their hands.
“This has broken the community of Skye. There is so much healing that still needs to be done.”
‘No one should ever have to go through this again’
Mr Gordon said he was aware that he became the point of contact from people across Scotland concerned about their loved ones – which meant he could not focus on his own grief as his father was dying.
“On the night of May 5, 2020, at the time he died, at 7pm, I was talking to journalists,” he said.
“I had no time for grief and mourning, everything just continued.”
“When the day of his funeral ended, I was alone, at home with no one.
“Our family stuck by all the rules. We have vulnerable people in the family so we did not go inside each others home. We did not cuddle, or shake hands as you would when someone dies. We did not have the great reunion that is so renowned on Skye.
“I am not saying this because I want sympathy. Yes, it has taken a toll on me. But my reason is quite the opposite, I am saying this because no one should ever have to go through anything like this again.”
Next steps
Mr Gordon said the whole experience has made him far more aware of the issues around loneliness and isolation, as well as poor mental health.
To ensure no other family goes through such loss, he plans to be a driving force in seeking answers for those affected by the Home Farm Care Home outbreak.
He has vowed to push for answers on if there was an criminal activity and take an active part in the public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic.
He is also eager to see the still-to-be-published report into a large scale investigation into the scandal that he believes should have been published by Highland Council.
And in one of his final acts as a councillor, Mr Gordon has lodged a question at next week’s full Highland Council meeting to push for the publication of the report, which he claims was requested some two years ago.
He said: “There has been silence. We need to see that report. We need to take action.”
At at the public inquiry he wants to give evidence to help “find the truth”.
“There are huge weaknesses in the care sector that the pandemic exposed,” Mr Gordon said. “How on earth did Covid get into the most vulnerable group in society?
“Why were they not the most protected?
“We, as the survivors, need to be the voice of those that were killed by Covid.
“I just don’t think we can leave this situation where it is. As a result of what we have been through, we need to learn that more care needs to be taken.
“That is especially so with the most vulnerable – like people in care homes. They should be protected. During Covid, we didn’t do that. We need to make sure that it never happens again.”
HC One acknowledge ‘exceptionally difficult time’
Mr Gordon believes patients should not have been moved after the pandemic began.
He claimed in one instance, one family in Sleat only discovered their loved one had been moved from his care home to Home Farm after it had happened.
The man was among the first victims of the Covid outbreak.
He also claims staff from all over the UK came to work at the home, with many not isolating before they started.
The allegations were put to HC One, who said their thoughts were with all those who had lost a loved one to coronavirus.
A spokesman said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with all families that have lost a loved one from coronavirus. Caring for our residents and supporting our colleagues is at the heart of what we do, and the past 24 months have been an exceptionally difficult time for everyone connected to our homes.
“Throughout the pandemic, we have worked extremely hard to protect our residents and colleagues, and we have always strived to take all possible precautions to keep residents and colleagues safe.
“Given the ongoing legal process, we are unable to make further public comment regarding Home Farm at this time.”
Highland Council said: “NHS Highland is the lead agency for adult care and responsible care homes and providers including HC One. Senior council officers passed stakeholder briefings and information received from NHS Highland to all Skye members regarding the Covid outbreak in Portree, from becoming aware in April 2020.
“Regular briefings were also held with all members on Covid related matters throughout 2020 and 2021.”
