Readers’ Letters: Care duty and the ‘culpable’

We now have a Scottish Government report about Covid-19 positive tested patients being released into care homes which finds “no statistical evidence” in hospital discharges to care homes leading to Covid outbreaks.

As well as the positive tested patients, more than 3,000 patients were transferred without testing and some were transferred without the policy-required two negative tests.

From TV and newspaper reports, apparently, no front face workers were questioned. So how did the experts determine any facts and reach their conclusions without, as suggested, contacting the care homes? Hospitals will have records of Covid-positive patients transferred to care homes.

Care homes will have records of the hospitals, plus information on any ailments or disabilities they have, including Covid.

Records over, say, the last five years should have been inspected to indicate the average number of “normal” fatalities.

After transfers, records at each care home should be examined to show any increase in Covid infection, and rate of increase. Information on the number of staff infected by Covid would also be available, pointing to a possible cause of the high rate of infection.

I believe the Health and Safety Executive must be involved in any investigation.

In my opinion, those who made these decisions, including within the NHS and government, are culpable.

JH Aberdeen.

Royal Mail stamp of disapproval

Today I got a card through my door from Royal Mail, Altens, Aberdeen to say they could not deliver because there was a £1.50 fee.

OK, I have done this online before, no problem.

Tried three times, it did not recognise my reference number so I phoned Altens helpline (32- minute wait) and got a nice guy who said we can do this on the phone. Great.

Tried to pay £1.50 three times but the system would not accept it.

Solution – they will send me a book of stamps to stick to the card, hand to the postie and will get my delivery.

You could not write a comedy sketch like this, only Royal Mail could.

How their pick-up and collect will work for 79 pence makes my mind boggle.

Don McKay, Aberdeen.