Care home with 9 deaths hits out at SNP over testing

17 Apr 2020

A care home which has lost nine residents to Covid-19 has criticised the Scottish Government over testing.

The Newark Care facility in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire said neither its staff nor its residents had been tested, despite repeated requests to the SNP government.

Chief executive Jack Ryan has now written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon outlining his concerns.

He said: “You stated that it is standard practice for testing of early cases to be carried out within care homes.  You need to be aware that, despite having now lost 9 residents whose deaths have been reported as coronavirus related, there has been no testing at any point.   All occurrences were reported to public health, East Renfrewshire HSPC and the Care Inspectorate.  We have asked repeatedly for testing, from the first instance and for every case which developed in the days that followed.”

He added that SNP claims about testing in care homes for symptomatic residents being standard practice were “misleading and inaccurate”.

The Scottish Government is coming under increasing pressure over the testing of care home staff and residents, and their access to personal protective equipment.

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said:

“The evidence from this care home will not be isolated, and that is of grave concern.

“They are saying very clearly that, despite several residents dying from this cruel virus, no progress has been made on testing at all.

“Perhaps if staff and residents could have been tested at an earlier stage, some of these deaths could have been avoided.

“These are the types of concerns that should be shooting right to the top of Nicola Sturgeon’s priority list.

“Care home workers are very much on the frontline and deserve the very best access to protection and testing.”