Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry|Health and social care|5 December 2023 (afternoon session)

Testimony by retired police officer William Scott.

Introduction

Mr.Scott (a retired police officer) is giving evidence about his mother who was 87 years old when she sadly passed at University hosptial Ayr on 17th May 2020. She was largely housebound and required daily care but had no known underlying conditions. On 27th April 2020 she developed a blood clot in her leg which required hospital treatment. On 4th May it was agreed she was medically fit for discharge yet remained in hospital until care arrangements were put in place. During this period she tested ‘positive for COVID’ on 7th May but was asymptomatic at the time.

‘At the time Mum had tested positive that there was a new protocol that had just started that over 80s within the hospital.’’

-Paragraph 15 of statement

‘‘Mum tested negative before her positive test. She was tested two or three times and had a scan on her lungs which didn't show anything up.’’

-Paragraph 39 statement

Testimony highlights

• 5 hour wait for an ambulance

• No hospital visits allowed

• Secondary pneumonia suspected

• Fluctuating oxygen levels

• DNACPR put in place on admission

• Bizarre visiting rules

• No funeral attendance if end of life visit permitted

‘‘You were then told that your mother could be discharged from hospital not withstanding she had COVID.’’

No COVID rules for BBC?

As Mr.Scott was told in no uncertain terms if he attended the hospital to see his mother at end of life afterwards he would need to isolate for 14 days therefore missing the funeral.

‘‘If I visited Mum (who was dying) then I would have to isolate for two weeks and I would not then be able to attend her funeral or deal with any of the arrangements required after her death.’’

-Paragraph 21

However the same rules were not applicable to the BBC.

‘‘The day after my mum died there was a BBC news crew (at Paisley hospital) in a COVID ward and they were back on the telly the next night obviously not isolating.’’

End of life?

The family were told to perpare for the worst with the doctor explaining how ill Mr.Scott’s mother was yet the phone calls they received from her mother she was sounding healthy and certainly not at deaths door.

‘‘Bizarrely the phonecall from the doctor detailed how bad she sounded.’’

‘‘When she phoned she sounded fine…it was crazy…she was talking away and they were saying she’ll be dead in 12 hours.’’

Dying alone

The family were unable to visit their dying loved on for the last 3 weeks of her life.

‘‘To not have the dignity in death that she merited is devastating.’’

‘‘The three weeks she spent in hospital herself…she died in anguish.’’

Statement highlights

‘‘The hospital forgot to tell me my Mum had died.’’

-Paragraph 26 of statement

‘‘When the staff took Mum off her meds she passed away quickly, it was a mix up. I was upset but it was just a mistake.’’

-Paragraph 26

‘‘I thought Ayr hospital was hiding figures.’’

-Paragraph 31

‘‘My Mum's death certificate says covid with some kidney type thing but covid was the main cause of death. I strongly believe the fact that mum caught and died from 'hospital acquired covid' should be acknowledged and recorded, if not on the formal death certificate, then at least somewhere else.’’

-Paragraph 33

‘‘The hospital said that DNR was discussed with my Mum but in her medical records or hospital notes it states that on at least two occasions medical staff were unsure if mum understood what was being relayed to her including the DNR notice. The family were never informed about this confusion and the DNR was still put in place.’’

-Paragraph 41

‘‘Not seeing mum for three weeks before she died was disappointing and the fact that I did not see her because of the incorrect information on isolating rankles me.’’

-Paragraph 45

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