Coronavirus: GP surgery rules out hospital for care home residents

A GP surgery was criticised yesterday after writing to the families of care home residents telling them they will not be sent to hospital if they catch Covid-19.

The medical practice in Glasgow told relatives that putting them on ventilators would not be “appropriate” as it was “high unlikely” they would recover.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said the letter was “very troubling”.

Meanwhile, one leading care home owner told The Sunday Post up to 600 residents may have already died in Scottish care homes because of coronavirus – almost three times the official estimate.

And Berelands Care Home in Prestwick, Ayrshire, revealed a total of 20 people have died from suspected Covid-19 – more than a quarter of the residents at Berelands.

Relatives were informed of the decision not to send residents at Ailsa Craig Care Home in Glasgow to hospital in a letter from the Midlock Medical Centre, which has 8,800 patients in the south-west of the city.

The letter said: “In such a situation that a resident becomes very unwell, we will aim to work with the care staff to provide the best supportive care in Ailsa Craig. We would not recommend admission to hospital, but instead aim to keep your relative comfortable in Ailsa Craig.

“Should your relative be very unwell with Covid-19, we do not believe that hospital-based ventilator would be appropriate as it is highly unlikely that your relative would survive.”

The letter adds that hospital admission would be considered if a resident suffered a “serious injury” like a broken hip from a hip or acute surgical emergency.

Mr Leonard said: “This letter is very troubling. It makes clear that this surgery would not seek to get potential coronavirus patients into hospital under any circumstances, and would only ‘consider’ hospital in the event of a serious accident.

“To justify this by saying that if a resident fell ill with coronavirus then a ventilator is of no use because they would almost certainly die anyway is not only inconsistent with medical evidence but is morally indefensible.

“Residents of care homes deserve the same high quality of care that the rest of society receives. To treat care residents in such a way as this is discriminatory and highly upsetting for their families.”

Midlock Medical Centre declined to comment.

But charities have said decisions over which patients receive priority treatment should not be made solely on age or care home residence, and factors such as their usual state of health and capacity to benefit from treatment should be considered.

Donald Macaskill, chief ­executive of Scottish Care, said: “We have consistently said, as has the Chief Medical Officer, First Minister and Health Secretary, that if it is in the clinical interests and if it is to achieve the best optimal outcome for a patient, then they should be transferred into the acute sector.

“No GP practice should make a blanket assumption. If that is happening, it is highly regrettable, inappropriate and against guidance.”

Care England, which represents independent care firms, has warned that as many as 7,500 people have died after contracting coronavirus in care homes south of the border.

The number is far higher than the official figure from the Office for National Statistics, which recorded 217 care home deaths from the virus up until April 3.

The National Records of Scotland said 962 deaths had now been registered in Scotland where the virus was mentioned on the death certificate. Of these, 237 were in care homes.

But Robert Kilgour, who runs the Renaissance Care chain of homes, said yesterday the actual number in Scotland could be up to 600.

He said: “We believe the real number of care home deaths will easily be between 500 and 600.

“And if things do not improve radically, and the government fails to roll out regular testing for all care home staff and residents, the number of deaths will be several thousands, not hundreds.”

Care home deaths attributed to coronavirus include nine residents at the Newark Care facility in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire.

Care home boss Jack Ryan said no staff or residents had been tested for the virus despite repeated requests to the government.

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith said: “We are absolutely clear that anyone who needs hospital care should receive it.”

If a resident becomes very unwell during this Covid-19 pandemic, we will need to make difficult but realistic decisions on where they should receive their care.

In such a situation that a resident becomes very unwell, we will aim to work with the care staff to provide the best supportive care. We would not recommend admission to hospital, but instead would aim to keep your relative comfortable