Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry|Opening session-health and social care impact hearings|24 Oct 2023

The opening day of health and social care hearings. 4 testimonies included.

Warning: The following footage contains details of an extremely harrowing nature. Viewer discretion is advised.

Introduction

Unknown to most people in the Scotland, since July 2023 the official inquiry into the response to the ‘COVID-19 pandemic’ in Scotland commenced. This is Scotland’s biggest, most wide ranging public inquiry ever. It is investigating the devolved strategic response and upon conclusion will present its findings and make recommendations to Scottish Ministers. Investigations will cover the period between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022.

The core participants of the inquiry are as follows:

Testimonies

From October 24th the health and social care hearings commenced. Evidence has consistently described, often in distressing detail, severe harms inflicted by lockdown policies upon care home residents, vulnerable children, adults and their families. Below i have included the full uninterrupted sessions from Care Homes Relatives Scotland (‘CHRS’), PAMIS and Families of children with additional support needs with Church of Scotland highlights.

1.Care Home Relatives Scotland (CHRS)

Care Home Relatives Scotland/CHRS Lost Loved Ones("CHRS") was formed in August 2020 by five daughters and a mother, brought together by shared concerns and desperation at being separated from their loved ones. CHRS Lost Loved Ones played a crucial role in supporting people who had lost a loved one in a care home during lockdown as many had been unable to be with their loved ones for many months, or even in their final moments of life due to the restrictions.

Main points:

• Residents in care homes discriminated against

• Negative impacts of restrictions on survivors now permanent

• Dismantling normal routines had a ‘devastating’ effect

• Urgent pleas by family members to public health and MSPs from August 2020 on lockdown harms were ignored

• In conclusion, a widespread disregard for fundamental human rights and freedoms of those living in care homes

‘‘One member spoke about visiting her mother with advancing dementia in late summer 2020 she had to sit two metres away and watch her mother be PHYSICALLY RESTRAINED from walking towards her for a cuddle.’’

‘‘With no visits no touch, not even allowed to see others in the home, faces became hidden behind masks and skin hungry, with no cuddles or hands to hold…paraded out behind glass like an exhibit at a reptile museum or a prisoner.’’

‘For almost a year, guidance would not permit residents to leave the home or to go out for a drive in the car. After 14 months, many residents were only recieving half hourly socially distanced visits and many had not left their home in over a year.’

‘They were effectively imprisoned.’

-Amber Galbraith KC-Representing Care Home Relatives Scotland (CHRS)

—Within the statement, the following comments can be found at paragraph 8.

‘‘They were left in their rooms with no social engagement, interaction or stimulation. It was little better than solitary confinement in a prison cell.’’

‘‘It cannot be known what horrors those residents must have experienced.’’

‘Isolation from family members undoubtedly resulted in a deterioration of mental and physical health for many residents.’’

‘‘For some, the loneliness and distress experienced contributed to their ultimate death.’’

2.Rachel Holt (representing families of children with additional support needs)

Introduction

The Core Participant Group, Families of children with additional support needs, comprises 7 individuals and two charities, Children's Health Scotland and the National Autistic Society, Scotland.

Here in this harrowing testimony, lawyer Rachel Holt outlines the catastrophic adverse effects of lockdowns on Scottish children, particularly upon vulnerable children and their families.

Main points:

• School closures and healthcare provision withdrawal ‘devastating’

• Media fear propaganda severely harmful to vulnerable children

• Record levels of childhood anxiety and school absence

• Permanent negative health consequences due to lockdown

‘‘During the therapy sessions the child would pick his fingers until they bled. The child’s first SUICIDE attempt was not treated appropriately.’’

‘‘In terms of the decisions that the governmnet made the effect on children has been ‘‘horrendous’’. Even during the world wars the schools remained opened.’’

‘‘Children’s health Scotland is aware that more children remain off school with anxiety and more children are not attending school than at any other point in time according to their records.’’

‘‘They speak of the devastating impact of services being withdrawn, schools being closed and when reopened operating in new and unusual ways.’’

‘‘Most feel their child’s development was adversely impacted by the strategic response and some consider the damage to their child caused by the imapcts of that response WILL BE LIFE-LONG.’’

-Rachel Holt-Solicitor-Famlies of children with additional support needs.

3.PAMIS

Introduction

In this harrowing testimony Amber Galbraith KC is representing the organisation PAMIS and families of loved ones with PMLD (profound, multiple learning disabilities). It is revealled that lockdown is associated with a steep decline in the health of the most vulnerable due to reduced healthcare support services with long term negative consequences.

Main points:

• Most vulnerable adults and children ‘‘abandoned’’ during lockdown

• ‘‘Vital’’ healthcare support services COLLAPSED from march 2020

• Distraught families ignored by public health bodies for months

• Families worried loved ones would be denied NHS treatment based on disability

• Long term conditions compromised which will result in excess deaths

• Many experienced healthcare workers left the profession during ‘the pandemic’

• Families now lack trust in current services being delivered

‘‘Some families became so worried that they considered SUICIDE PACTS.’’

‘‘Health conditions deteriorated due to the lack of basic and routine medical provision and in many cases they have never recovered.’’

‘‘The withdrawal of frontline services and allied support workers means that many with PMLD have their long term conditions compromised and that more people will be lost in the future.’’

Key issues for people with learning disabilities

4.Church of Scotland-CrossReach

Introduction

David Di Paola is a solicitor representing CrossReach, a social care organisation operated by the Church of Scotland Social Care Council, which offers care to people of all ages across a wide range of different needs, with locations all over Scotland. It is one of the largest voluntary sector care providers in Scotland, with services including homelessness, mental health, learning disabilities, criminal justice, substance abuse, residential care for older people, day care and care and education for children and young people.

Testimony highlights

Main points:

• Social care impacts due to restrictions had ‘‘significant consequences.’’

• Government guidance ‘‘heavy handed’’ and '‘mandatory’’ enforced with inspections.

• Guidance left the most vulnerable ‘‘open to wider harms.’’

• Community support services for vulnerable were ‘‘suddently withdrawn’’ with ‘‘catastrophic’’ consequences.

• Social care hygiene requirements ‘‘erroneous’’ and ‘‘impossible to achieve.’’

• Rights of vulnerable children ‘‘not upheld.’’

• Harms from restrictions may have outweighed those from ‘COVID’.

• Care homes publicly shamed due to media coverage.

• Indemnity withdrawn for ‘COVID-19’ harms on care homes unlike NHS.

• Managers ‘‘beseiged’’ by complaints from relatives due to lack of visits.

• Human rights ‘‘infringed.’’

• Care homes were ‘‘requisitioned’’ by the Scottish Government without taking any responsibility.

• Dementia patients adversely impacted most by visiting restrictions.

‘‘In many settings in social care sometimes it was a case of creating a physical harm potentially greater than the risk of infection for some.’’

‘‘Some children in care were prevented from seeing their family members…this would NOT have been tolerated in a normal family setting.’’

‘‘Those who would ordinarilly have required hospital treatment for the many problems that the frail elderly can face were stuck in care homes…there was a resistance to provide healthcare to these individuals EVEN IN ACUTE situations.’’

‘‘Managers were beseiged by complaints from relatives.’’

‘‘Managers could see SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION in some residents particulary with dementia.’’

‘‘The Tardiness (quality) of the guidance in care home settings in terms of allowing social interaction caused UNTOLD harm for many residents and their closest families and could be seen as an infringement of their human rights.’’

‘‘Care home residents with COVID were NOT in many cases admitted to hospital.’’

Media coverage

Remarkably, the opening session did not make the print press in Scotland nor TV and was to be found online only and with no mention of families of children with additional support needs nor PAMIS’ crucial evidence. Mr.Di Paola’s evidence was noted only briefly here in the ITV online excluding many important details.

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End

Links:

Full Video Scottish COVID-19 inquiry on Youtube- Impact hearing | Health and social care | 24 October 2023 (morning session)