Holyrood committee investigates impact of coronavirus on care homes

The Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee has opened a short inquiry into the impact of coronavirus on care homes.

Care home staff, residents and residents’ families are being asked to take part in a survey on how well prepared care homes have been to deal with the pandemic.

The survey results will be used to inform questions to health secretary Jeane Freeman when she appears before the committee on Thursday 2 June.

Over the coming weeks, the committee will carry out a series of short inquiries into the Scottish Government’s handling of the public health crisis.

As well as looking at issues faced by care homes, the committee will look at problems around personal protective equipment and testing.

The committee will also scrutinise the Scottish Government’s preparations for any future ‘second wave’ outbreak.

The survey asks what measures were put in place to protect care home residents from the coronavirus, as well as what level of confidence the respondent has in those measures.

Around half of all deaths registered in Scotland since late April have been in care homes, according to figures from the National Records of Scotland.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that transmission of the virus in care homes "continues to be a big challenge".

Health and Sport Committee convener Lewis Macdonald said: “As the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has continued to rise, it has become clear that care homes in particular have suffered many tragic losses.

“The most recent data from the National Records of Scotland shows more than half of Scotland's coronavirus deaths are now happening in care homes.

“This is shocking and has a devastating impact on residents, staff and their families.

“Our committee is determined to find out the issues that care homes are facing, how they have been supported by the government and what can be done now to help them deal with this unprecedented challenge.”

The survey is available on the Scottish Parliament website and closes on Wednesday 20 May.