Coronavirus: Two residents die at Skye care home where 57 staff and patients have tested positive

‘There’s clearly going to have to be an investigation – the numbers involved is just a tragedy,’ says senior union organiser

Calls have been made for an investigation into a coronavirus-hit care home in Skye where two residents have died and 57 cases have been confirmed.

The company which runs the Home Farm independent care home in Portree said 30 residents contracted Covid-19 – including two who later died – while 27 members of staff have also tested positive.

The GMB union said there would have to be an investigation into the facility, claiming “underfunding” in the care sector had left staff struggling to cope with such outbreaks.

Both the care home operator and the Scottish government insisted there is currently enough personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers at the home.

An Army mobile testing unit has also been deployed to the island off the west coast of Scotland following the spate of cases in the small town.

A spokeswoman for the care home operators HC One said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families who have lost a loved one from coronavirus and we are doing our utmost to support them during this difficult time.

“We are working closely with our local health and care partners, and we have secured the medical equipment, PPE and supplies we need to protect residents and colleagues alike."

The spokeswoman said that while some employees were unwell or self-isolating, the home still has enough staff to cope, citing “additional support being drawn from our other Scottish homes and the senior regional team”.

Drew Duffy, senior GMB organiser for public services, told BBC Radio Scotland: “There’s clearly going to have to be an investigation – the numbers involved in the Isle of Skye is just a tragedy, so we do need to immediately look at what was put in place for residents and staff, but clearly this has just highlighted years of underfunding within social care.

“The private sector care homes having been running on minuscule budgets, cutting corners and the crisis has just highlighted the disease that has been austerity for years – they just cannot cope.”


 Home Farm independent care home in Portree 
 (Google Maps)

Scotland’s finance secretary Kate Forbes said she was assured there was enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect workers and residents at Home Farm.

Ms Forbes, who is the MSP for the island, BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland: “It was one of my first questions and I was informed resolutely that, yes, there was sufficient PPE there.”

She also said contact tracing could be used on the island, due to its rural nature, to track the spread of the virus through residents.

Former Scottish Tory leader Baroness Goldie, speaking on Good Morning Scotland, said the testing strategy on the island should be designed to “absolutely ensure the safety of residents within the care home and try to ensure that not only are they being kept safe, but the risk of transmission into the home or out is minimised”.

Since the onset of the coronavirus outbreak, concerns have been raised over the supply of masks, gowns and other protective equipment at care homes across the UK.