Report: COVID-19 Related Deaths In Care Homes, 2020/21 – The Care Inspectorate
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The Care Inspectorate has published a statistical bulletin which includes data on deaths from COVID-19 in care services across Scotland.

The Bulletin follows a review by the Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner which found that the data, gathered by the Care Inspectorate and submitted to it by care providers can lawfully be published.

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “We are acutely aware of the potential distress and possible harm that publication of some information may cause. Therefore, it is very important that data relating to deaths is considered in context to have a fuller understanding of the impact of the virus in care settings. Following a decision by the Information Commissioner and after internal review, the data has now been published.

“We know from our inspections and our experience of the pandemic that the relationship between the quality of care experienced by people in care homes, and the impact of COVID-19 is complex.

“We know that any care service can be affected by COVID-19 and that residents of care homes were tragically particularly vulnerable to the virus. We also know that the quality of care experienced by residents did not necessarily provide an indicator of the risks in relation to the virus.

“Our findings relating to care homes indicate there may be relationships between a high number of deaths related to COVID-19 and size of service and geographical location, including urban or rural settings.

“We continue to undertake analysis to help us better understand what we can learn from these findings to support quality improvement within the care sector.

“The Care Inspectorate has worked closely with care providers, the Scottish Government and partners to support care services to respond to and recover from the pandemic and continues to do so.”