Scottish COVID-19 inquiry|Impact hearing|Health and social care|22 November 2023 (morning session)

Remarkable testimony from the CEO of Glasgow Disability Alliance.

NB: I realised this was missing from my substack. Also the statement numbers read out by Stuart Gayle KC are not matched by the actual statement which made this more difficult to follow.

Introduction

Tressa Burke is the CEO of the Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA) and has been involved with the organisation for 17 years. GDA was set up over 20 years ago to reduce the isolation and loneliness which disabled people faced and the lack of `voice' and autonomy experienced. They also speak out on other issues impacting disabled people like Assisted Dying. GDA have Core Participant Status in the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry but have no legal representation.

A pandemic of social isolation

Even in the very early days of lockdown isolation was already a concern. Support packages for the disabled were stopped out of fear.

‘‘It emerged IMMEDIATELY because disabled people are twice as likely to be socially isolated. They are also disproportionately reliant on (healthcare) services and those services ALL STOPPED.’’

‘‘We were very quickly discovering that people didn’t have access to food..social isolation was coming up as an issue in relation to the mental health distress people were experiencing aswell.’’

Lockdown ‘COVID’ fear+NHS healthcare withdrawal

During the first lockdown people were concerned about access to food and NHS healthcare services were completely withdrawn from people with serious conditions who were living in an extreme state of fear from ‘COVID’ and dying alone. The legacy of the mainstream media and political establishment laid bare again.

‘‘People diagnosed with cancer…somebody with diabetes just at the outset the treatment stopped…the communication stopped…people with severe mental health illness..somebody sectioned 7 times…no access to the psychiatrist.’’

‘‘FOOD was becoming an increasing concern for THOUSANDS of people.’’

‘‘People were TERRIFIED…the way things were being talked about…they thought if they caught it they would absolutely die.’’

Access to food

Accessing food was a serious issue for disbaled people during lockdown.

‘‘It was GRAVELY serious…we found oursdevles providing food to over 2,800 people.’’

‘‘Disabled people who weren’t shielding didn’t qualify for delivery slots.’’

Survey of 6000 disabled people

Data by the end of August 2020 showed the lockdown harms being inflicted on disbaled people were significant with almost 50% worried about access to food aswell as…

• 82% worried about social isolation and loneliness

• 62% worried about mental health

• 90% worried about physical and mental health

‘MASSIVE’ spikes in mental ill health

More catastrophic effects of the lockdown are laid bare with fears around ‘COVID’ still persisting.

‘‘Social care withdrawn…the NEAR COLLAPSE of the whole system in certain parts of Scotland.’’

‘‘Our service was OVERWHELMED with SUICIDAL IDEATION..people in EXTREME DISTRESS.’’

Glasgow-protecting the vulnerable

At paragraph 99 of the statment we learn yet more shocking data.

‘‘In Glasgow, almost 2000 care packages were cut from March 2020 onwards, leaving many disabled people even MORE vulnerable. Many of our members were left with no support to wash, eat, go to the toilet and take medications.’’

Misuse DNACPR notices

As our most vulnerable members of society were being crushed by lockdown policies simultaneously coersive DNRs were being offered by GPs and applied in hospitals without consent or any informed discussions with families. People with mere deafness were applied DNACPR notices. Many GDA members are also neither frail or elderly.

‘‘People were ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED and felt that the lives of disabled people were being DEVALUED.’’

‘‘Even when people were dying but they had a pre-existing conditions as if that writes off their life and we should just expect all the disabled people to die anyway and they’re not that worth saving.’’

‘‘There was experiences of people being told they wouldn’t be taken to hosptial if they got COVID and got ill.’’

‘‘These were people being approached were attending our events online these were people NOT near end of life stage it wasn’t appropriate to be having those (DNR) conversations out of the blue with them.’’

‘‘There was an example of somebody deaf..having a DNR on their file and that doesn’t seem to make much sense at all.’’

Full statment section DNACRP

A must read section.

—click to enlarge—

Deaths in GDA members

No exact figures exist on the total amount of GDA members that died from ‘COVID’ during the ‘pandemic.’

• March 2020-March 2022= 215

‘‘Many of these deaths were ‘‘COVID RELATED’’ but no confirmation in every case.’’

Not mentioned at the inquiry. Paragraph 153 of statement.

‘‘Systemic failures in services- including health and social care services — were potentially responsible in at least one example whose name I can't mention for obvious reasons. But her family and friends firmly believe this to be true because there was a failure in oversight from both organisations while she was slowly dying and this was missed.’’

and paragraph 154.

‘Some disabled people have taken their own lives for reasons routed in a lack of support, a lack of human connections.’’

‘‘Dehumanising’’ Coronavirus act (permanent in Scotland)

Not mentioned at the inquiry paragraph 47 of Ms.Burkes statement.

‘‘For many years, members of GDA have described feeling a sense of de-prioritisation and dehumanisation and this unfortunately continued during Covid in many ways including specific Emergency Legislation outlined in the Coronavirus Scotland Act. This Act allowed Local Authorities to relax certainduties and to prioritise urgent services…

..Whilst no doubt well intended this had and CONTINUES to have unintended and DRASTIC CONSEQUENCES for many disabled people.’’

Thoughts

Despite the admitted disastrous lockdown policy harms inflicted on people, especially upon the most vulnerable members of society the narrative persists that ‘COVID’ or ‘the pandemic’ was responsible for mass harm and excess deaths not the policies themsevles.

‘‘Not only have successive Scottish Government policies failed disabled people, but successive Governments have failed to truly understand and address the inequalities disabled people face — and this has costs to both disabled people themselves and society.’’ - Paragraph 22 of statement

‘‘Very worryingly — in the midst of the pandemic — a consultation on assisteddying was launched; we already know that safeguarding is not a guarantee toprotect vulnerable people; DPOs and disabled people are unanimous and hugely resistant to the Bill launched this week in Scotland.’’ - Paragraph 116 of statement

‘‘But this is also in part due to leadership, cultural and attitudes which havehardened. Political choices are made and these choices are turned into policyby officials who them implement decisions. Brutal, cold, devastating decisions. Believable to an extent during a pandemic..

..but why is this continuing? - Paragraph 150 of statement

I think i know..i can take a hint…but it doesn’t matter because…

‘COVID’ did it

There was some weak mainstream media reporting of this testimony, link below.

Thanks for reading. Please help share this information.

End

Links:

Ful statement- https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/sites/default/files/ev-documents/sci-wt0468-000002.pdf

Video-Youtube- Impact hearing | Health and social care | 22 November 2023 (morning session)

https://gda.scot/resources/supercharged-a-human-catastrophe/

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23941441.scotland-covid-charity-delivered-food-terrified-disabled-people/