Scotland’s care regulator warned it did not have enough inspectors in the months leading up to the covid-19 pandemic.

Care Inspectorate board meeting records reveal proposals to boost inspector pay before the pandemic were not acted on because of insufficient funding from the Scottish Government.

Care homes in Scotland have come under increasing scrutiny during the pandemic, with more than six in ten of the country’s 1,100 care homes reporting at least one case.

Just under half of the 3,770 covid-19 deaths recorded by National Records of Scotland have happened in care homes.

In December the board of the Care Inspectorate, which is responsible for ensuring home and residential care services are operating correctly, was told it faced a shortfall of 20 inspectors.

At a subsequent meeting in March, when the first covid-19 death was recorded in Scotland, they were told the agency did not have enough inspectors to cover “core scrutiny, assurance and improvement functions”.

A proposal to boost pay and recruit new staff was described as “not affordable” within the funding allocated by the Scottish Government and excluded from this year’s budget plans.

Speaking yesterday, former cabinet secretary Angela Constance said registration and inspection services faced “massive questions” about their role and powers.

In recent weeks the Scottish Government has intervened more directly in the running of care homes.

But the Scottish Government says the Care Inspectorate has not raised any concerns or asked for additional funding for the covid-19 outbreak.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Health Secretary recently met with the Care Inspectorate about their current inspection programme and no issues regarding the availability of inspections were raised.

“It is for the Care Inspectorate as an independent public body to comment on specific staffing matters.

“The Scottish Government regularly reviews the budget position with the Care Inspectorate. We have not been approached for additional resource in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.”

The Care Inspectorate refused to comment and said details of staffing numbers would have to be requested through freedom of information legislation.

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