Scottish COVID-19 inquiry Impact hearing |Health and social care|12 March 2024 (afternoon session)

Powerful testimony from Melanie Hunter of the Scottish COVID Bereaved who reveals £1500 government CASH incentives for care homes to accept hospital patients.

Introduction

Melanie discusses the death of her father John on 8th November 2020 presumably from COVID. Her parents lived a top floor flat of a 3-floor building. They had stayed there since June 2002 till August 2020 after which due to health issues in her mother they resided in a care home. Her father simply wanted to remain with his wife.

Lockdown harms

The week prior to the national lockdown on March 23rd 2020 Ms.Hunter chose to isolate her parents after noticing her daughter become ill with respiratory symptoms.

Unfortunately this decision was not without it’s own serious consequences.

In her statment Ms.Hunter mentions :

‘‘They had no private outdoor space so they couldn't benefit from natural sunlight, no fresh air or other visitors. We got them Vitamin D tablets to compensate for the lack of natural sunlight.’’

After the lockdown period ended Melanie took her parents out for a meal and noted a stark deterioration in the physical appearance of her mum and dad who had been isolated at this time for over 14 weeks.

‘‘It wasn’t till i got them outside that i realised just by looking at them..they had no garden…no exercise..they were very tired. I seen my dad had aged quite a bit just in that short period of time.’’

‘‘My mum was sleeping all the time…she ended up in hospital.’’

Further explained in her statement at paragraph 11 her mothers hospitiliation was due to the lockdown.

‘‘During this time mum had been in and out of hospital mainly due to the effects of lockdown enhancing her already diagnosed diabetes.’’

NB: Another disturbing public health oversight during the pandemic is that indoors is where the poorest quality breathable air is present, with pollutant levels two to five times greater than inside the home. A fact well known for decades. Is that competent public health advive vs an alledged acute RESPIRATORY virus?

Rolling lockdowns in care home

On October 2020 the care home her parents resided was placed back in lockdown. Her dad turned 83 that month.

‘‘The home was now back on a strict lockdown with residents confined to their rooms. On the video call he was tired, and the staff had said he'd spent all day in bed. This was very unusual for dad a she was a very active man. He never lay in bed even when he was restricted to his room. He'd be sitting up in his armchair.’’

- paragraph 24 of statement

COVID positive but no symptoms

At this point both her parents were tested for COVID with her mum positive her father negative. The home retested her father the following day and he was this time positive. Despite being in a jovial mood the home phoned for an ambulance for her father. In her statment it says he was ‘‘still fully alert and in complete control’’.

‘‘She said he was laughing and chatting in the back of the ambulance. He was admitted to the CDU unit, and I was told he was started on steroids along with fluids & doing well.’’

- paragraph 26 of statement

Ms Hunter was bemused as to why her father was admitted to hosptial. This was also supported by the ambulance technician.

‘‘I have no idea why my dad had to be admitted to hospital with such symptoms…he was the first resident to be sent to hospital. Even my daughter's friend, the ambulance technician said, 'I don't know why they are sending your papa to hospital.’’

-paragraph 27 of statement

No consent DNR-POA discarded

The following day her mother was admitted to the same hospital & same unit. A few days later Melanie received a call from the hospital stating her father was becoming ill and he would be placed on a DNR with intensive care not an option. Her power of attorney was completely ignored.

‘‘I asked if he got worse would he be transferred to the intensive care ward. I was shocked and stunned when she said no as a DNR had been signed. I had a POA for both. They knew that. It was in his & mums notes.’’

-paragraph 29 of statement

‘‘Nobody had discussed this with me, nobody.’’

- paragraph 30 of statement

‘‘My personal view was they saw a man of 83 and he was disposable.’’

On the 7th Nov her father started to have symptoms of delerium.

‘‘I got the feeling he was becoming hard work for them. If I'd been allowed in I'm sure the outcome would have been a lot different.’’

-paragraph 34 of statement

10 days ater this Ms hunter was allowed to see her father. All treatment was withdrawn.

‘‘All his treatment had been withdrawn. No oxygen, no drips,nothing. I didn't recognise him and walked back out the room crying saying 'that's not my dad". He was so thin and was in a horrific state of delirium.’’

-paragraph 36 of statement

Administered sedatives?

Ms Hunter eludes to the fact the staff during this time seemed guilty of something but not sure of what. Was he drugged with Midazolam as we’ve heard from other witnesses ?

‘‘I've felt that since before I left the hospital. They had made their decision. Dad was indispensable. They had played God.’’

- paragraph 50 of statement

‘‘I don’t think they gave him what they said they had gave him.’’

Cash incentives

A shocking admission by Melanie is that she was made aware the government was offering cash incentives to care homes to accept untested hospital patients.

‘‘Afterwards I found out that the government was offering care nursing homes cash incentives to accept patients without a covid test being carried out. I heard they were offered £1500 to receive patients from hospitals.’’

Why would they do this, given hospitals were not busy in 2020…would he not stand a better chance of survival within the hospital setting?

Concluding remarks

In her concluding remarks Ms.Hunter blames ‘‘incompetence and negligence’’ for the death of her father and that due to his age he was seen as ‘‘disposable.’’

Ms Hunter testifies if she was allowed to be with her father in hospital she has no doubt he would have survived.

‘‘I should never have been told i couldn’t go and visit my dad in hospital. I have got ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT if i had been by his side he would have pulled through.’’

NB: The audio starts to cut out during this section. I suspect to deliberately mask the comments being made.

‘‘What I do know is that my broken heart will never fully mend and my dad died due to incompetence and negligence of others.’’

- paragraph 61 of statement

Letter to the First Minister

‘‘I wrote to Nicola Sturgeon pleading with her to close the borders after dad died. We are an island and we could have protected our loved ones more and prevented so many deaths. I did get a reply from a member of Nicola Sturgeon's staff, but it was simply a standard reply saying sorry for your loss. Nothing more.’’

-paragraph 62 of statement

Media

STV report here exluding many details.

End

Links:

Full video-YouTube-Scottish COVID-19 inquiry Impact hearing | Health and social care | 12 March 2024 (afternoon session)

Full statement- https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/sites/default/files/ev-documents/sci-wt0618-000002.pdf

https://indoorbreathing.com/what-are-the-most-common-indoor-air-quality-complaints/

https://news.stv.tv/scotland/daughter-felt-father-was-disposable-after-learning-of-do-not-resuscitate-order-covid-19-inquiry-hears