Recent figures show more than half of Scotland’s COVID-19 deaths have taken place in care homes and Jeane Freeman MSP, cabinet secretary for health and sport, will be quizzed on the various issues faced by the care home sector.

Ahead of the meeting, Lewis Macdonald MSP, health and sport committee convener, said: “The shocking impact of coronavirus on Scotland’s care homes has been well documented with over half of Scotland’s deaths taking place in this setting. Some have felt that the NHS was prioritised over care homes at the outset of this pandemic and we are keen to examine whether this was the case.

“We also know that access to adequate PPE and lack of testing have impacted on care homes and we want to investigate these issues further.

We are also seeking to find out how prepared care homes were for this crisis, what support the government provided to them and how they will be supported to ensure that if there is a second wave of this deadly virus, care homes are not exposed again.”

The committee’s meeting takes place on June 4 at 9.30am and will be broadcast live here.

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