Nicola Sturgeon Confirms 'Public Inquiry' Into Scottish Government's Handling of Coronavirus Crisis

The Scottish Government has been the target of criticism after it was revealed that care home residents presenting symptoms of coronavirus were being moved from hospitals into care homes before a mandatory testing regime was implemented.

In a response to a demand from Scottish Conservative Leader Jackson Carlaw at First Minister's Question Time, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed on Wednesday that there will be a formal public inquiry into her government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.

​The First Minister said she understood that questions would be raised regarding the approach to discharge to care homes.

“Throughout this crisis I’ve taken the best decisions I can based on the best information and evidence I had at the time", she said.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said that hospital patients had been "rushed" to residential care facilities without sufficient testing during the initial stages of the outbreak

He also cited guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) which has been urging since March for all coronavirus afflicted countries to introduce mass-scale testing. He claimed that waiting until April had led to “devastating consequences” for the residents of assisted living facilities.

Sturgeon said she “took exception” to the claim that the elderly were being treated as “second-class”. She explained that hospital beds had been cleared due to concerns of a “tsunami” of new coronavirus cases overwhelming the National Health Service.

She acknowledged that guidance at the time suggested that those with coronavirus symptoms should not be discharged to care homes. The First Minister said that care homes, even those privately-owned, should have followed the existing guidelines.

Questions Over Scotland's Handling of Covid-19 Crisis

Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman last week revealed that 921 “delayed discharge” patients were transferred to care homes in March - a higher number than was initially believed. 

Despite the mass relocation of people with symptoms from hospitals, mandatory testing for those moved only began on 21 April.

This comes as the Scottish National Party government is also facing accusations of "covering up" an outbreak of coronavirus at a Nike Conference held in Edinburgh in February.

The First Minister has denied the allegations and has claimed that the news was not revealed to the public due to patient confidentiality.

The announcement also follows confirmation by the First Minister that a further 13 people had died from coronavirus in Scotland, making the total death toll 2,304 with 13,929 infections.

While Scotland has kept lockdown restrictions in place while England has loosened social distancing measures, Sturgeon announced on Monday that the Scottish government would be easing some restrictions from Friday.