Question reference: S6W-00152
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 21 May 2021
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Current status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 1 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the Urgent question by Kevin Stewart on 20 May 2021 regarding the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Authority to discharge, for what reason National Records of Scotland reportedly withheld information unlawfully on care home deaths; who is accountable for this act, and what action it is taking in response.
Answer
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic National Records of Scotland (NRS) has placed significant amounts of information on care home deaths into the public domain. NRS analyses provides valuable information on characteristics of the deceased as well as presentation at Health Board and Local Authority level.
Following receipt of a FOI request for data at individual care home level, NRS carefully considered the potential public benefit of providing care home level data against the potential distress the public release of these data may cause families of the deceased, care home staff, residents and families of residents. NRS recognises that this is a complex issue and therefore welcomed the Scottish Information Commissioner's conclusion on how the balance of public benefit and potential distress should be considered. Following the decision by the Scottish Information Commissioner, NRS has complied with the instruction and now made this data available in line with the original FOI request.