10 Comments

“GPs were issuing end of life medications to 90% of residents over the telephone”. Who are these people? All it took was one phone call to end someone’s life, was the resident experiencing a cough, maybe a persistent discomfort in their chest or was feeling anxious and fearful it obviously didn’t matter the response was the same - end of life care - which means midazolam and morphine. The GPs would have sentenced the resident to death without having seen them or having looked them in their eyes. Was age a terminal medical condition? It would seem so.

Expand full comment

Not in video but Erskine manager said due to incessant COVID testing staff were off due to any common symptom, sore heads etc and this mean residents got significantly less levels of care around 50% than would have been the case before lockdown.

Expand full comment

The euphemism, 'less care' means neglect.

Expand full comment

You are doing phenomenal work and it's appalling that this is not being reported in the mainstream 'news'.

Expand full comment

Thanks Nicola. Just recently went through all the testimonies to correct grammar and add additional details. See Cathie Russell testimony which is news.

https://biologyphenom.substack.com/p/scottish-covid-inquiry-impact-hearing-b94

Neil has not covered closing statements which is very disappointing.

Expand full comment

This part is very interesting. Is there a written document with care home managers testimonies ?

Expand full comment

Statements now added and well worth a read.

Expand full comment

I’d have found it hard to believe if I hadn’t witnessed it myself. A friend’s mother in a care home with Parkinson’s disease but otherwise in reasonable health, gagged on a PCR test and inhaled vomit which led to aspirational pneumonia. The GP initially refused to attend but eventually did after a great deal of pressure from both the care home staff and my friend. When my friend arrived to be with his mother at the consultation, the GP had already left having commenced his mother on end of life medications. She died on that same day. I don’t doubt her life, which was definitely worth living, could have been saved with timely and appropriate treatment.

Expand full comment

That’s horrific 😞

Expand full comment

For Canadian stories visit https://www.theylied.ca/LongTermCareHomes.shtml to hear testimony from Canada's National Citizens Inquiry.

Expand full comment