Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry

Workers told us of flawed processes and operational failures, which put them and their colleagues at risk. Their experiences will be preserved to help Scotland be better prepared in future.

Trade unions and professional bodies gave evidence to the Inquiry about what their members faced – and what they believe needs to change.

Read what they told us: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.21

Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) RCN Scotland UNISON Scotland Unite Scotland

For thousands in Scotland, COVID-19 didn't end when restrictions lifted.

The Inquiry heard from adults and representatives of children about living with long COVID – and the challenges faced by a lack of understanding.

Read the full Narrative Record: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.20

Long Covid Scotland MEAction Scotland Long Covid Kids

There are roughly 800,000 carers in Scotland. We were told that most felt invisible to the system.

The Inquiry heard how unpaid carers – largely unrecognised – carried on against the odds during the pandemic.

Read what they said: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.19

The Inquiry heard evidence about how some ‘Do Not Attempt CPR’ decisions were made during the pandemic in Scotland. We were told how these decisions caused further confusion and conflict for families coping with a loved one being in care or hospital.

Read the full Narrative Record: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.18

Scotland's addiction support workers kept showing up – through letterboxes, garden gates and windows – when services shut down around them.

The Inquiry heard how the pandemic reshaped addiction support across Scotland:
🔵 Charity staff delivered methadone and other prescriptions directly to individuals who had no transport to reach GPs or pharmacies
🔵 Around 70% of some residential service users had no phone, leaving them digitally cut off from support and family

Read the full publication: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.17

Pregnancy during a pandemic. Birth without a partner. Neonatal care through a screen. In some cases, pregnancies were lost.

The Inquiry heard from midwives, nurses, and mothers about one of the most isolating experiences of the pandemic.

Read the full publication: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.16

Witnesses told the Inquiry that when statutory services locked down, Scotland's mental health charities stepped up.

We heard that those experiencing poverty, inequality and isolation were among the hardest hit by lockdown.

Read the full publication: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.15

Health in Mind, Penumbra Mental Health, Samaritans, SAMH

Isolation inside a closed system. The Inquiry heard what happened when COVID-19 entered Scotland's prisons.

Read the full publication: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.14

Hospice staff provided comfort at the end of life. They said the system didn't always protect them.

The Inquiry heard how early on, pandemic guidance was not tailored to hospices – presenting challenges in an already uniquely challenging environment.

Read the full publication: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.13

GPs were the first point of contact for millions of people in Scotland. They had to reinvent how they worked overnight.

The Inquiry heard from GPs and the BMA Scotland about the speed and scale of change – and the patients who faced exclusion.

Read the full publication: https://www.covid19inquiry.scot/report/narrative-record-health-social-care?utm_campaign=p3.12