Cops Probe Care Home Deaths

Investigation set to look into crisis that killed the vulnerable

- Paul Hutcheon

Police have launched an investigation into the coronavirus care home death scandal that has shamed Scotland.

The force said it is “gathering additional information” for the Crown Office after nearly half of Covid-19 deaths occurred in care homes.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon said the probe must focus on the practice of patients being allowed to leave hospital without being screened.

She said: “The involvement of Police Scotland in the review of coronavirus-related deaths in care homes underlines the seriousness of this crisis.

“The investigation must probe the decisions that led to hundreds of elderly patients being transferred from hospitals into care homes without being tested for the virus. The impact of these decisions will be felt for a long time.”

The Covid-19 death toll in care homes has become one of the biggest controversies during the pandemic.