Care home families not informed of ‘do not attempt CPR’ notices, Scottish Covid inquiry told

Families whose loved ones were living in care homes during the pandemic were not informed of notices telling staff not to attempt CPR on their relatives.The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry has heard that many families were not aware of the notices stating CPR should not be attempted in the event of a cardiac arrest.On Thursday, Sandra Ford, a GP and member of Care Home Relatives Scotland, told the inquiry that care home residents are often issued with a DNA (do not attempt) CPR notice, a common practice as frail people are “highly unlikely” to survive it.She said this is “fully explained” to families when a loved one moves into a care home, but added this was often not the case during the pandemic.Her father, who had dementia, died during the pandemic while in a care home, and Ms Ford said his condition worsened due to being isolated.She said: “Dementia in patients was accelerated due to the isolation and I saw this first-hand with my dad and other residents who I was visiting.“Residents were lost and unsettled, the atmosphere was bleak and desolate.“Residents were barrier-nursed in rooms with an infection control station outside.“Because of Covid, and the neglect of family involvement, very often DNA CPR conversations were not taking place with the family and they were shocked to find out they had been put in place.” Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. She told how she previously saw her father at least once a week prior to the pandemic, and it then decreased to two 30-minute essential visits during Covid.Eventually the visits were brought to a stop, which she believes worsened her father’s condition.She said: “With family around him his whole life,