Family members from Skye’s Home Farm will be attending the first day of the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry tomorrow in Edinburgh – and have called for “real answers”.
The families of three of the victims from the home are calling for answers and solutions to Scotland’s “care crisis”,
Eleven people died from Covid in Home Farm in Portree during the pandemic, and it is viewed as one of the worst cases of the virus spreading in a care home in Scotland.
Now the families want to ensure lessons are learned to stop similar situations from happening again.
‘Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry needs to give answers on Home Farm’
At the time of the spread of the virus, the home was operated by HC One and it was later taken over by NHS Highland, who continue to operate the service.
While the families want lessons to be learned – they say “substantial” change in the care sector is required to stop another devastating toll from the “next pandemic”.
John Gordon, from Portree, who lost his dad John Angus to the virus in May 2020, said he was ready to hold the government to account for its failings.
Mr Gordon, a former local councillor, said that while promises have been made that the situation in which 11 people died would not happen again, he has serious doubts.
He said: “It is strange that finally we are about to have the Covid Inquiry and yet I certainly feel that if there was a pandemic again tomorrow, there is no certainty that a similar situation might arise.
“There are serious lessons to be learned from Covid and the way in which people were placed in care homes – but until now there have been no answers from the government.
“On the day that my dad died, I was told that he was ‘doing fine’, so when he died we were in complete shock.”
Mr Gordon said that when someone died on the island there would have been plenty of support – but due to the lockdown rules he didn’t see his dad, or his family and he was at home alone.
‘It shouldn’t be this difficult to get to the truth’
“It was one of the most surreal times of my life,” he said.
“I think we were all shocked and lost without the support you would normally have. I do not want anyone else to go through what we have.”
He continued: “I have heard Jeanne Freeman the former health minister and Nicola Sturgeon speak at the UK inquiry and I don’t think we got any answers there.
“So it is important that they come to the inquiry and give real answers. We are still asking why it happened, and why it happened on Skye.
“The virus did not get into the wider community in any great numbers, so why did it happen in Home Farm.
“Locally we think we know why, but we want to hear from those people who made the decisions to tell us.”
Mr Gordon added: “My concern is that lessons are learned and that there are positive outcomes about the future of care.
“The status quo – keeping what we have now – is not the answer. People in homes are a commodity for big business and it just does not work.
“Old people are a product for business and they bring with them a healthy profit. The money we spend on care homes does not mean that people will be well looked after – in fact in some cases it is quite the opposite.
“From what we have learned about Covid and care that simply can not go on.”
Mr Gordon is calling for care to be taken away from large providers, and into smaller community-owned care homes.
‘We need something better’
He continued: “The Care Inspectorate is no longer fit for purpose. They knew of people’s concerns from across Scotland, and yet they were unable to take action. It needs to be totally scrapped or given more authority.
“I will be very annoyed if the Covid Inquiry thinks it is a job done when it closes its books – we need something better.”
Mandie Harris, whose husband died in Home Farm on May 6, 2o2o, said: “I am the same as many other people who are unfortunate enough to be in this situation.
“I am hoping that the inquiry will give us some answers to the questions we have never Scottish Government had answered, and if nothing else that lessons are learned and changes put into place to prevent this level of chaos from happening again.
“It shouldn’t be this difficult to get to the truth.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Covid Inquiry said: “The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry is committed to conducting a robust, independent investigation without fear or favour that will arrive at the facts, identify any lessons that need be learned and make recommendations to Scottish Ministers as soon as is practicable, so we are better prepared in the event of any future pandemic.”
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