FAMILIES RESPOND – PRESS RELEASE – EVIDENCE OF NICOLA STURGEON MSP FORMER FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND- BEFORE THE UK COVID-19 PUBLIC INQUIRY
PRESS RELEASE – 29th June 2023
EVIDENCE OF NICOLA STURGEON MSP FORMER FIRST MINISTER OF SCOTLAND – BEFORE THE UK COVID-19 PUBLIC INQUIRY
Statement by Aamer Anwar – Lead Solicitor for Scottish Covid Bereaved issued on their behalf. Ms Sturgeon was asked a number of questions by Senior Counsel to the Inquiry as well as some closing questions by myself as Lead Solicitor for the Scottish Covid Bereaved.
“For many of the Covid bereaved the evidence of multiple politicians and senior civil servant has exposed a culture of impunity, denial, arrogance and blaming everyone else but themselves.
Over 227,000 people lost their lives in the UK to Covid and by March 2022 a total of 13,429 lost their lives to Covid in Scotland. The dead cannot speak for themselves, but their families deserve the truth.
On the shortage of PPE, many were left aghast by yesterday’s evidence of Jeanne Freeman Scotland’s former Health Minister who like UK Ministers before her was unable accept that we failed our front-line workers who were crying out for PPE. Many front-line workers gave their lives trying to save ours, whilst our leaders were asking us to clap those workers on our doorsteps every week.
Today questions were about resilience and planning for the pandemic, but in the months ahead Miss Sturgeon must return to answer to both public inquiries for the actual handling of the pandemic.
Ministers both in England and Wales claimed to have thrown a “protective ring” around vulnerable residents, but the policy not to isolate people discharged from hospitals to care homes in the first weeks of the pandemic of 2020, without testing was deemed “irrational”, but Scotland did exactly the same. By the end of March 2021 there had been 3774 deaths in Scottish care homes
It matters not one bit to the bereaved if care home deaths happened in London, Manchester or Glasgow- the policy of discharge of the untested was ultimately a death sentence.
The families want to know whether the Scottish Government blames Westminster or if they were in agreement? did they fail to follow the science? or did they march a few steps behind Boris Johnson into his carousel of chaos?
It was clear from Ms Sturgeon’s evidence today that as resources were diverted from pandemic planning, there was a false economy in planning for a no-deal Brexit as opposed to a pandemic.
Mr Swinney was questioned about the ‘alarming sluggishness’ of implementing recommendations for pandemic planning, some seven years after it was first proposed.
The vulnerable and those impacted by inequality and austerity formed little or no consideration in the minds of those who were responsible for planning for a pandemic, as a result thousands died
The families watched Miss Sturgeon and Mr Swinney give evidence but they want more than empty words of sympathy, they hope that Ministers and Civil Servants to finally admit their mistakes and work together to prepare us for the next, inevitable pandemic the families simply want truth and accountability and today is just the start”
Statements of Bereaved relatives who watched the evidence today:-
Alan Inglis (DOB: 02.06.1960 / Age: 63 years old) & Frances Marr– lost their son / brother (Calum Inglis – DOD: 24.10.21, 34 years old)
“Callum was an inmate at Addiewell Prison. He became unwell & sought medical assistance. He was tested for covid and returned a positive result. He was isolated in his cell. He deteriorated and sought further medical assistance. He was given paracetamol. He deteriorated further and asked again for further assistance which wasn’t given – he asked for help but no one came. He was found unresponsive in his cell shortly after, 14 days after contracting Covid. My son died alone in a prison cell on Nicola’s Sturgeons watch, I don’t need experts to tell me how he should have been treated.”
