Full breakdown of all 618 Covid-19 linked deaths in Edinburgh and Lothian care homes since start of pandemic

New Crown Office figures have revealed there were at least 618 Covid-linked deaths in care homes across Edinburgh and the Lothians since the start of the pandemic.

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The data was obtained by the BBC from the Crown Office unit set up last May to gather information on the circumstances surrounding Covid deaths in Scotland’s care homes. It shows the prosecution service was considering at least 3,400 deaths linked to the virus as of April 8.

An interactive dashboard created by the BBC shows every confirmed and presumed Covid-linked death for each care home in Scotland.

Rodger Laing died after testing positive for Covid-19 at Drummond Grange nursing home. These pictures show Mr Laing just hours before he died, and in better times just a few weeks before his death.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently acknowledged that, with the benefit of hindsight, it was a mistake to move large numbers of elderly from hospitals into care homes last spring.

Data shows there were at least 333 Covid-linked deaths recorded across 44 Edinburgh care homes, 116 deaths at 13 homes in West Lothian, 71 deaths in 12 East Lothian facilities and 98 deaths spread across six Midlothian homes.

Dalkeith pensioner Rodger Laing was moved from Midlothian Community Hospital to Drummond Grange Nursing Home, Lasswade, in May last year. Just three weeks later, he died after picking up Covid-19. One day after his death, care inspectors found serious issues there with PPE and infection control.

Mr Laing’s family claim he was transferred against their will to free up hospital beds, despite them highlighting fears over the virus already being in the care home. The 80-year-old, who had dementia, tested negative for Covid when he left hospital. The Crown Office figures show there were 21 Covid-linked deaths at Drummond Grange, the second highest in Midlothian.

One in five workers at elderly care homes have not had their first Covid jab as restrictions on visitors are set to ease in days (Shutterstock).

Speaking on Monday, his son Rodney Laing said: “It was the wrong time to move people, especially in the middle of lockdown. It caused massive carnage.”

Mr Laing said he later heard that the hospital ward his father had been moved out of was lying empty two months after his father’s death. He says he was told it would be used to rehabilitate Covid patients.

The 49-year-old continued: “It was very upsetting to the family when we heard this. My father was shifted out to a nursing home to his death.”

Morag Barrow, director of health and social care at the Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership, said when a patient is medically assessed to be well enough to leave hospital, they will work closely with the patient and family to arrange a care home placement. Ms Barrow said appropriate consent processes are followed with this process. They could not comment on the individual case but said: “I would like to express my sincere condolences to the family.”