Covid in Scotland: Families demand apology over care home ban

Families of attraction location residents banned from visiting their relatives during the Covid pandemic person demanded an authoritative apology.

Campaigners privation to cognize wherefore restrictions were tougher than for different members of the public.

It comes arsenic the justice starring the probe into Scotland's Covid effect sets retired however the probe volition run.

Alison Leitch, of the Care Home Relatives Scotland group, said: "Why were we treated otherwise to staff?"

She added: "Hopefully this is ne'er allowed to hap again."

Preliminary hearings astatine Murrayfield Stadium successful Edinburgh connected Monday formally opened the inquiry's nationalist grounds gathering.

Inquiry president Lord Brailsford volition archer halfway participants however the hearings volition work.

The Scottish enquiry is abstracted from the UK Covid Inquiry which began successful mid-June.

This week's preliminary sessions volition acceptable up the archetypal acceptable of afloat hearings which volition statesman successful precocious October.

Those hearings volition stitchery arsenic overmuch grounds arsenic imaginable connected the interaction of the Covid-19 response, and of the pandemic itself, connected the radical of Scotland.

The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry has divided its probe into 3 themes: wellness and societal care, acquisition and young people, and business, concern and welfare.  Health and societal attraction volition beryllium the absorption of the archetypal signifier of the process.

Like the UK Covid Inquiry, proceedings opened with a reflective movie and a infinitesimal of remembrance acknowledging those who mislaid their lives to the virus.

Just nether 227,000 radical died successful the UK with Covid-19 listed arsenic 1 of the causes connected their decease certificate.

The Scottish Inquiry volition unpack the decisions made by the Scottish authorities passim the pandemic, from introducing lockdown to the transportation of investigating and vaccines.

It volition besides absorption connected corruption power successful attraction homes, including the transportation of patients from hospitals.

On respective occasions, Scottish guidance to the nationalist differed to that being fixed successful different parts of the UK.

The Care Home Relatives Scotland (CHRS) group, which has astir 2000 members, is among those participating successful the inquiry.

It campaigned passim the lockdowns for much entree to relatives successful attraction homes.

Co-founder Alison Leitch, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We truly privation to get started with uncovering retired the rationale for what was done to our loved ones and hopefully get an apology and Anne's Law truthful this is ne'er allowed to hap again."

According to Anne's Law, attraction location residents would beryllium allowed a named visitant into the attraction location adjacent if restrictions are successful place.

Ms Leitch's parent Kathleen, 76, is surviving successful a attraction location successful Fife.

She said: "In summertime 2021, my friends could spell retired for meal with their mum, determination were question corridors, unit could spell retired - but I had to beryllium 2 metres distant from my mum caput to toed successful plastic.

"Why were we immoderate much harm to our relatives than the staff?

"Most of america were unpaid carers earlier our loved ones moved into attraction and we were abruptly conscionable chopped disconnected - we were nary longer seen arsenic portion of that attraction package."

Group co-founder, Cathie Russell whose parent Rose has since died, said: "Once the pandemic struck, determination was a afloat twelvemonth that I ne'er got to really beryllium with my mum.

"I was precise fortunate successful that we were reunited and psychologically that's made a monolithic quality to me.

"But I spot tons of others who didn't person that payment and who didn't get to spot their loved ones for possibly 9 months and past they died.

"And they cannot compute that astatine all, they can't get implicit it."

Ms Russell was reunited with her parent Rose Hamilton successful March 2021 and Mrs Hamilton died 4 months later.

"The enquiry is simply a monolithic task, but we are hoping that we volition get immoderate aboriginal recommendations that volition assistance with the attraction location situation," she added.

The autarkic inquiry, which is funded by the Scottish government, has faced a fig of delays.

Judge Lady Poole was appointed successful December 2021 to seat the inquiry, but she resigned successful October 2022 for idiosyncratic reasons.

They called the gathering successful Dundee successful July "shameful and shambolic" and condemned laughter during proceedings and what they described arsenic a deficiency of respect paid to those who had died from the virus.

The UK and Scottish inquiries person agreed, wherever possible, not to beryllium astatine the aforesaid clip erstwhile they are considering worldly which is applicable to both.

This means the UK Covid-19 Inquiry volition beryllium sitting successful Scotland successful January of adjacent twelvemonth and the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry volition not.

Aamer Anwar, the pb solicitor for the Scottish Covid Bereaved group, said relatives were apt to beryllium highly captious of advancement truthful far.

He told BBC Scotland News: "At Monday's proceeding it is anticipated that unless the Covid Bereaved perceive of existent change, they volition beryllium damning successful their disapproval of the Scottish inquiry.

"In the past twelvemonth this enquiry has spent astir £8m - truthful the precise slightest the families were entitled to expect was a golden plated, robust and fearless inquiry, nary antithetic to the UK Inquiry.

"Sadly their acquisition has been the nonstop opposite, 1 of a shambolic, embarrassing and 3rd complaint inquiry."