The head of Scottish Care has criticised a narrow focus on “infection control fundamentalism” in care homes and a corresponding failure to acknowledge the importance of contact with families during the pandemic.

Dr Donald Macaskill said guidance on care home visiting was not moving quickly enough, as most of Scotland begins to allow indoor socialising in pubs, restaurants and people’s homes from yesterday.

Indoor visits to care homes from relatives, friends and carers resumed in early March, with residents permitted one visit a week for up to two designated visitors. 

When the Scottish government announced the move, which came after 99.9% of residents had received their first dose of a vaccine, it said it was ‘acutely aware’ of the damaging effects of loneliness and isolation.

Guidance published yesterday setting out rules for trips outside of care homes says residents should not ‘routinely’ be asked to self-isolate for 14 days after outings.

Campaigners have been calling for the introduction of Anne’s Law, which would give nominated carers the same access rights as staff.

Dr Donald Macaskill said: “I am very personally supportive of the broad principles of Anne’s law…Fundamentally we have failed to acknowledge that the preservation of life and the preservation of health is more than simply physical and physiological health and wellbeing.”

The Scottish Care boss, who was speaking at an online conference hosted by Amnesty International and the Human Rights Consortium Scotland, said individuals with late-stage dementia should “have never been isolated”.

“We have developed an infection control fundamentalism which has emphasised the importance of the preservation of an individual over and against that individual being part of a community.”

The comments echo the views of one of Scotland’s leading social workers, who last summer told healthandcare.scot that the focus on infection control opened the door to other ‘unintended harms’.

During the session, Naomi McAuliffe, Programme Director for Amnesty International in Scotland, questioned the planned timescale for a public inquiry into covid-19.

Boris Johnson has pledged an inquiry will begin in spring 2022, but Ms McAuliffe suggested work on areas such as education and care homes that are devolved could begin sooner so that lessons could be learnt “as soon as possible”.

Read more: ‘Long way to go’ on care home visiting; Care home visits need ‘case by case’ approach; Virus care cuts “devastating” for Scots with dementia

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