UK COVID-19 inquiry 25 Sept 2024

Testimony highlights. Professor Sir Gregor Ian Smith-CMO for Scotland.

I could find no mainstream media reports of these important sections of testimony around DNACPR. (articles in links).

Introduction

Professor Smith has been the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland since December 2020. He was interim CMO from April 6th 2020 after his predecessor Dr.Catherine Calderwood stood down after breaking lockdown rules.

DNACPR testimony highlights

• The elderly and vulnerable were specifically targeted as groups warranting DNACPR during lockdown over the general population.

• Those suffering with ‘‘severe COVID’’ would NOT be given potentially life-saving resucitation due to a low chance of success and NO DISCUSSIONS needed to take place with the patient or their families.

• Professor Smith was contacted as early as 7th April 2020 (just 2 weeks into lockdown) by Scottish Care and Age Scotland over the increased use of pressurised DNACPR orders being reported by and applied to older and vulnerable people. Dr.Smith stated he does not recall the statements from these organisations.

‘‘DNACPRs should ALWAYS be considered on an individual basis and there is NEVER a justification for blanket policies, would you agree?’’

-Emma Price-counsel to the inquiry

‘‘I agree VERY STRONGLY with that.’’

- Professor Smith

How many DNACPRs in Scotland during lockdown?

In this segment a nervous looking Professor Smith, when pushed, revealled there are no investigations planned nor is he aware of any data on the total number of DNACRP notices used in Scotland during ‘the pandemic’. (This is an issue being raised in England).

From the Scottish COVID-19 inquiry testimonies the phrase ‘must be through the roof’ comes to mind.

‘I’ve never seen any data in relation to that.’’

Stay at home-Protect the NHS-Save Lives?

In this segment Dr.Smith admits the harms from the lockdown policies and media/political fear mongering where many people refused to attend hospital for serious conditions. ‘Substantial’ reductions in people attending emergency departments during lockdown for:

• Chest pain

• Heart attacks

• Urgent cancer referrals

NB: How many went on to become ‘COVID’ cases or deaths’ if testing ‘positive’ within 28 and even upto 60 days of a +PCR test?

‘‘This became a concern whether through apprehension and fear of attending healthcare facilities..they were simply avoiding them even at times when they were particularly ill.’’

Despite this, remarkably the CMO believes the ‘stay at home’ message was correct and refutes people in Scotland were told to protect the NHS.

‘‘In Scotland the message was NOT protect the NHS.’’

2020 rewind

Escalation policies and the ethics committee

Here CMO Smith outlines that during lockdown, disturbingly, some patients would NOT be receiving treatment even IF it meant that treatment could be beneficial. Patients (presumably) with pre-exising comorbidities and the elderly would be PRE-SELECTED. Healthcare workers needed an ethics commitee set up due to the ‘‘difficult decisions’’ (choosing who lives and dies?) they were being asked to make. A ‘lack of resources’ is blamed (despite half empty wards during lockdown 2020 as evidenced at Scottish COVID inquiry by Neil Gray an NHS Glasgow porter who worked on the front-line).

‘‘It’s one of the reasons during the early part of the pandemic, certainly in Scotland, we set up a network of ethics committees within EACH of the healthboards to assist clinicians when they were faced with difficult decisions around patients.’’

‘‘We are asking clinicians to make VERY VERY difficult decisions about who goes onwards for particular types of treatment and who doesn’t.’’

‘‘We were really asking clinicians to PRE-SELECT and judge even when treatment may have some beneficial impact who should go forward for that aswell.’’

Questions from Scottish COVID Bereaved group

• End of life visits

• DNACPR

As evidenced abundantly at the Scottish COVID inquiry many families were unable to be with their loved ones at the end of life during lockdown. Professor Smith states he was not aware (although ‘not completely’) of the ‘inconsistent approaches’ being applied within healthboards.

‘‘It’s certainly the experience of the Scottish COVID bereaved that a number of people didn’t get to visit their loved ones before they died.’’

-Claire Mitchelll KC-Scottish COVID Bereaved

‘‘So you would agree that each decision should be taken after consultation with the patient and if possible their family?’’

-Claire Mitchelll KC-Scottish COVID Bereaved

‘‘Yes.’’

-Professor Smith

Astonishingly, given Scottish COVID inquiry testimony, Professor Smith is not aware of any breaches of professional or ethical codes of practise in relation to the use of DNACPR notices in Scotland. (see Gillian Grant testimony in my substack—FORGED signature DNACPR).

Care escalation failures

I’ve covered this shocking IFF report in much more detail on my substack previously but here it is again mentioned that during both main lockdown periods:

• 54% of healthcare professionals could not escalate a patients’ level of care

• 71% for A+E staff

• 62% for paramedics

NB: How many became ‘COVID’ cases and or deaths?

I’d also like to pick up on this point by CMO Smith.

‘‘The number of people who were in hospital (in Scotland) was really quite immense and exceeded capacity on several ocassions.’’

This official data shows quite the opposite.

Therefore, did the CMO just lie having sworn to tell the whole truth?

End

Links:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52177171

Full video- UK COVID-19 inquiry-Youtube-Module 3 Hearing - 25 September 2024 PM

Full statement- https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/25175911/INQ000484783.pdf

NHS Scotland DNACPR 2016 document- https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2010/05/attempt-cardiopulmonary-resuscitation-dnacpr-integrated-adult-policy-decision-making-communication/documents/0098903-pdf/0098903-pdf/govscot%3Adocument/0098903.pdf

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/shielding-groups-should-have-had-support-for-isolation-and-fear-inquiry/ar-AA1rcs9R

https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/national/24609054.chief-medical-officer-team-often-worked-16-hour-days-covid-inquiry-told/

https://www.thenational.scot/news/national/24609054.chief-medical-officer-team-often-worked-16-hour-days-covid-inquiry-told/