Covid inquiry must be given all the powers needed to take action and force change – Sunday Post

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Bereaved families have called on ministers to include them in preparations for Scotland’s public inquiry into the official response to the pandemic.

Cathie Russell, who lost her mother Rose Hamilton, 89, in July, leads the Care Home Relatives Scotland campaign group and said that, despite meeting with current Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and his predecessor Jeane Freeman, they and Lost Loved Ones, another network supporting families and campaigning for an inquiry, had not been informed preparations were under way.

She said: “We have had around a dozen meetings and nothing was said about the consultation process, despite us asking officially to be core participants in the inquiry.”

Patrick McGuire of law firm Thompsons Scotland, who has been involved in a number of Scottish public inquiries and represents some of the families affected by the pandemic, has written an open letter to Deputy First Minister John Swinney calling on him to ensure the terms of reference for the Covid inquiry will give it the necessary powers.

He said: “This inquiry is much too important to everyone in Scotland for it not to include these key groups, and after being professionally involved in five public inquiries which have in many ways failed to live up to the expectations of victims, we cannot afford to see any repeat of the same mistakes.

McGuire warned, if carried out thoroughly, the Scottish Covid inquiry could ultimately lead to criminal prosecutions. He said: “There is no point in spending millions on a public inquiry and then finding the terms of reference have placed a straightjacket on the authorities who are then expected to take action.”

Village to lose only GP surgery after key posts go unfilled – BBC news

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The only GP surgery in a Borders village is to close after it was agreed it was no longer viable to operate.

If follows the failure to fill some “key posts” at the Coldingham site.

Eyemouth Medical Practice – which operates the branch surgery – said the decision was “regrettable” but would make its overall operations more sustainable.

NHS Borders said it recognised the disappointment the decision would cause in the Coldingham community.

The partners in the medical practice informed the health board of their difficulties in recruiting to fill vacant posts earlier this year.

They said this had “significantly impacted” on their ability to keep operating in Coldingham.

A public consultation was held throughout July and August.

A health board meeting has now endorsed moves to withdraw a dispensing service and close the branch surgery in the village.

Glasgow and Lanarkshire worst Covid hotspots in Europe – STV news

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Glasgow and Lanarkshire are the two worse hit corona hotspots in Europe, according to the World Health Organisation.

The rate of Covid-19 cases per person in the two Scottish regions are significantly higher than elsewhere in the country, the United Kingdom and the continent.

Lanarkshire’s seven-day rate of cases per 100,000 people was more than 1111, with Glasgow’s higher than 1014.

The regions with the next worst levels of Covid-19 are Kosovo and Israel with rates of 734 and 718 respectively.

The longer the wait for a Covid inquiry, the bigger the risk that truth will stray – The Sunday Post

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Failure to vaccinate all 40 to 49 year olds ‘humiliating’ – STV news

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Humza Yousaf’s claim A&E not in crisis is latest sign of underachieving SNP being able to ride out failures – The Sun

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Emergency wards: Doctors reveal Scotland’s A&E is understaffed, overworked and on the brink – Sunday Post

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