Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 09 March 2022
I thank Jackie Baillie for securing this important debate before Parliament today.
It is just over two years since Covid arrived on Scotland’s shores—two years since fears ran through our communities, schools were shuttered and businesses were forced to close; and nearly two years since elderly and vulnerable care home residents were isolated from their families, losing their lifelines and often access to someone who addressed their core care needs, and losing the cup of tea and the bit of chit-chat that brought to life the family photos by their bedside. They were shut out from that vital support for months on end, and the purpose of Anne’s law is to ensure that that never happens again. Closing off residents in care in their home was, in the words of Natasha Hamilton, “a human tragedy”.
As we have heard, Natasha’s mum, Anne Duke, was one of those who could not secure the comfort of their loved ones during the pandemic. Anne, a former care home therapist, who passed away at the age of just 63 last November, was cut off from her devoted family while battling early-onset dementia. That prompted Natasha to launch a petition for Anne’s law that made its way to this Parliament.
Sadly, many people did not live long enough to see their loved ones one last time, or they saw them only through a window or at a distance; sometimes, they did so from behind screens and hazard tape. Our care homes bore the brunt of the pandemic, and it has been heartbreaking for families.
Over the past two years, many lessons have been learned and the path ahead looks far less bleak, thanks to vaccination and accurate and widespread testing. However, there are still lessons to be learned, restrictions to be lifted and questions to be answered. Fundamentally, there are also practical steps, such as Anne’s law, to be implemented. Although we fully accept Labour’s motion, which we warmly support, we have lodged an amendment, in which we seek a commitment from the Scottish Government to explore—no more than that—the possible extension of Anne’s law to include other settings, such as community and cottage hospitals, where care is given.