Scottish COVID-19 inquiry|13 Jun 2025

Shocking evidence from Lyn Pornaro, Chief Executive, Disability Equality Scotland.

Introduction

Lyn Polnaro is the Chief Executive Officer of Disability Equality Scotland (DES) and started this role on 31 October 2022. She stated at the inquiry she has been suffering from Long COVID for the last 3 years.

A reminder disabled people in Scotland died ‘involving COVID’ at a rate at least three times that of the general population. Could there be an explanation as to why that was the case? Read on about how ‘public health’ protected the vulnerable.

"The right to treatment/healthcare has been reduced. Some people have been proactively targeted for do not resuscitate (DNR) for us to sign without discussion or applying a person centred approach.’’

-Paragraph 45 of statement

‘‘My Mother is at end-of-life care and at Home - She had 4 visits a day however, Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership said due to Coronavirus they had no Staff and have stopped support basically leaving old people alone to die.’’

-Paragraph 74

Yet more disastrous effects of the lockdown not any novel virus is laid bare.

Testimony highlights

• 49% of disabled people had NHS appointments cancelled.

• ‘Huge impact’ of policies on people’s wellbeing.

• Delayed medical care exacerbated existing conditions.

• Adverse mental health consequences.

• Social care stopped. Day centres closed. Some permanently.

• Personal assistants like ‘golddust.’

• Communication ‘horrendous’

‘‘Disabled people have more medical appointments than non disabled people for obvious reasons.’’

‘‘The delay exacerbated symptoms..the ongoing effect is some treatments that might have been utilised in a preventative situation didn’t happen.’’

‘‘When appoinments did come through it was more invasive procedueres that needed to be taken.’’

‘‘Some local authorities said unless you are in crisis and you are coming out of hospital you’ll not get any help and hung up on people.’’

‘‘All your hearing about is ‘‘save the NHS’’..lots of disabled people were left going who’s saving me?’’

Starved to death during lockdown?

One third of disabled people struggled to access food and other support and were being hospitilised, some even died. Their care pacakges were removed and even after ‘the pandemic period’ local authorities chose not to re-instate them.

Credit to Faryma Bahrami, Junior counsel to the inquiry for her inquisitiveness around this disturbing survey.

‘‘Some people ended up in hospital…and unfortunately some people died..NOT because of having COVID but because of the effects of that isolation and lack of support.’’

‘‘People care packages were reduced, wiped out.’’

Disabled people ‘proactively targeted’ for DNACPR

More shocking evidence is submitted with confused elderly dementia patients being placed on DNRs (without family discussions) and disabled people being subject to medical discrimination.

‘‘People were petrified of going into hopsital because they didn’t know if they were going to come out again.’’

‘‘We’re still hearing stories of this (medical discrimination) happening today not related to COVID.’’

Fit and healthy targeted for DNACPR

Older people were called and asked to forgo treatment in favour of yonger people. Healthy people were also targeted for DNR because of age.

‘‘The groups that experienced the greatest disproportionate impacts was the old and disabled group particularly if they required hospital care.’’

‘‘Community nurses asking if they should be resuscitated..68 years of age, fit, reasonably healthy..why would you be even asked that?..the individual didn’t have COVID was not unwell in any other way.’’

Face masks

Disabled people who could not wear a face mask were discriminated against.

‘‘There was too many blanket policies of no face mask..no entry…it wasn’t just private companies..that was some medical practises, some hopsitals..some local authorities.’’

Statement highlights

‘‘Many respondents had concerns around access to social care. Some had their care cancelled or withdrawn when the pandemic began.’’

-Paragraph 35

‘‘For the week commencing 13 April 2020, Disability Equality Scotland posed the following question: Have you or someone you know received contact from a GP to discuss access to medical care, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic? 3% (15 Respondents) said yes. 97% (423 respondents) said no.’’

-Paragraph 37

‘‘DES asked if there had been any specific Equality or Human Rights impacts on people as a response to COVID-19. 62% of respondents said yes.’’

-Paragraph 45

‘‘69% of respondents (50 people) said that their mental health has been negatively affected.’’

-Paragraph 47

‘‘The intersectional group that experienced the greatest disproportionate impacts was the old and disabled group, particularly if they required hospital care. It wasn't a good time to be alive, particularly given issues experienced relating to DNACPR decisions.

Some concerns around DNACPR can be seen in our DNACPR Summary and quotes:

"I have lost confidence in my practice since receiving a phone call asking if I would be prepared to forgo treatment in favour of a younger, presumably non-disabled person. I feel like I have been written off as surplus to requirements and a drain on society."

"Community nurse asked on behalf of doctor if in result of getting COVID-19, if I wanted to be resuscitated. I am 68 years of age, fit and reasonably healthy (I know COVID-19 doesn't discriminate) but really this question staggered me, I asked my family what they thought, thank goodness they said don't be silly Mum. So, if necessary, please resuscitate."

"Having read other people's comments online, I would not mention my autism diagnosis in case I was deprioritised for ventilation support."

"I think that it is scandalous folk receiving DNR letters or telephone calls in this vein."

-Paragraph 48

‘‘Care companies let many disabled people down and some disabled people felt abandoned. For some disabled people, carers were the only people they would see during a day. For that to be lost, resulting in very little or no social interaction for a while, was a huge issue.’’

-Paragraph 62

‘‘The information that we have is held within our poll that we did called 2020 April COVID-19 Equality and Human Rights.' DNACPR was a concern as we mentioned above as was the right to have access to health and social care.’’

-Paragraph 63

‘‘It was reported to us via our polls that people were being refused entry to premises and on public transport when not wearing a face covering, even when they held the Scottish Government exemption card. Anecdotal evidence also illustrates that people were refused entry to GP surgeries, retailers, and a hospital.’’

-Paragraph 64

‘‘Mental health was affected and isolation increased. This was no different for those people within the disabled community except that their health conditions or disability needs compounded it.’’

-Paragraph 85

Thoughts

Another inquiry horror show!

Why this information is not being picked up at all or on a consistent basis by popular UK ‘alt’ media and ‘COVID critics’ particularly those with the big platforms ‘speaking out’ is bizarre! eg-We now have evidence stated under oath that disabled people were being starved to death because of lockdown restrictions. Is this not important?

Thanks for your attention. Like, share and comment if you care about real facts provided 100% free from the world’s only official COVID inquiry to hear directly from so many on ‘the front-line.’

X-link-1

X-link-2

End