Fears that the Scottish government could be considering a takeover of private care homes have been sparked after it emerged ministers asked for a valuation of the sector at the height of the first wave of the pandemic.

The news comes as an independent review considers future reforms to adult social care and the SNP pledges to bring in a national care service if they win the next Holyrood elections in May 2021.

It is not clear what a national care service would mean for the just under 1,000 private and third sector care homes in Scotland.

In early May the Care Inspectorate asked property agents Christie & Co for a ‘ball-park figure’ for the market value of the adult care home estate in Scotland.

This was put at around £2bn by the company, which describes itself as a leading specialist advisor for buying and selling businesses.

The Scottish government said the valuation had been necessary under new covid-19 legislation.

It was made at a time when care homes in Scotland were dealing with hundreds of virus deaths every week, with more than 300 residents losing their lives to the virus in the last week of April.

Details emerged through a freedom of information request by Renaissance Care chief executive Robert Kilgour.

Across the country just over 2,500 older Scots living in care homes have died with covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

Mr Kilgour, who operates 15 homes across Scotland, criticised the move as “underhand and sneaky”.

He said: “How can Scottish Care and the independent and voluntary care home sector continue to work with the Scottish government after this?

“A certain level of trust is an important ingredient in any working business relationship and when that goes then…”

The Scottish government said the request related to coronavirus emergency legislation, which included more powers to take over struggling care homes.

Home Farm care home on Skye was transferred to the NHS after concerns about the standard of care and virus deaths.

A government spokesperson said: “This matter refers to some due diligence work carried in advance of the Coronavirus Acts in May 2020, when the Scottish government was establishing the vailability of data about the market value of the adult care home estate in Scotland as part of the proposed emergency legislation.

“The Act sets out a range of provisions that ensure swift interventions in care homes where there is a serious risk to individuals.”

But Mr Kilgour, who has previously hit out at the ongoing review of adult social care as politically motivated, questioned the Scottish government’s rationale.

Estimating the total value of the Scottish care home sector was "completely irrelevant" to taking over individual facilities, he said.

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