Covid-19 discharge to care homes ‘right and proper if needed'

Health secretary Jeane Freeman has said it is “entirely right and proper” for doctors to discharge coronavirus patients without a negative test to care homes if it is deemed necessary.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly come under fire for the handling of care homes during the pandemic, with current policy stating two negative tests are needed for a patient who was being treated for Covid-19 to be discharged into a care home and one negative test if they were dealing with another ailment.

However, should a discharge be deemed necessary by clinicians, a patient can be moved out of hospital, a practice Jeane Freeman has said will only occur in “exceptional circumstances”.

In answer to a parliamentary question from Labour health spokeswoman Monica Lennon, reported by the Sunday Mail, the health secretary said the discharge should only be allowed if “it is in the clinical interests of the person to be moved”.

Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Freeman said the final decision would be made by health and social work professionals, adding it would not be appropriate for politicians to intervene.

She said: “If and where older people are being discharged from hospital into a care home or back into their own home without the two negative tests for coronavirus that we have in our policy position, that will be a clinical decision made by a clinical team and the social work team that are working with that elderly person and their family.

“It is entirely right and proper, I think, that clinicians who are experienced in elderly care and medical care and social work staff experienced in social work support for older people are the ones who will make the final decision.

“It is not right, and I don’t believe your viewers would expect, me as a non-medical, non-clinical politician to be intervening in that decision.”

Freeman sought to reassure those with concerns, saying this was an “exception” to the current rules.

She added: “The care homes themselves take serious responsibility about their infection prevention and control procedures, and do their very, very best to follow our guidance, with our support, on PPE and other matters.”

A report released last month by Public Health Scotland found more than 100 people were discharged from hospital to care homes in the early part of the pandemic without first testing negative for coronavirus.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the report showed that hospital discharges did not increase the likelihood of a coronavirus outbreak in care homes