Severe restrictions imposed on care home residents in Scotland during the Covid pandemic caused “harm and distress” and may have contributed to some deaths, academics have said.
A 143-page report has been produced by Edinburgh Napier University.
It had been commissioned by the independent inquiry into the events of the last two years.
The report says that the legal basis for confining residents to their rooms and banning visitors was “unclear”.
And it said care home residents were arguably discriminated against compared to other citizens.
The report compiled by a team from the university’s School of Health and Social Care, led by Professor Colin McKay said:
There is substantial evidence of the harm and distress caused to residents and their families by the restrictions imposed in care homes.
This includes concerns that, particularly for people with dementia, being unable to maintain contact with their family exacerbated cognitive and emotional decline, potentially hastening their death.
Overall, there is convincing evidence that while public health measures were brought in to protect the Scottish population, the impact of these changes on the daily lives of some vulnerable populations and people involved in their care were not fully considered.
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