SCOTLAND'S top medical adviser has apologised after saying the elderly tended to be "corralled" in care homes.
National clinical director Professor Jason Leitch was speaking as the number of positive Covid cases has soared while the number of care homes with a suspected case of Covid-19 has started rising.
Appearing on BBC Good Morning Scotland, the national clinical director was asked if he was concerned by the situation in Scotland's care homes.
"Concerned in the sense I want to protect them as much as I can from this virus," he said.
"We've learned both in Scotland and around the world, the vulnerable, who we tend to put in institutions such as care homes - remember, most older people live in their own homes - but we do corral older people in care homes.
"Donald Macaskill (chief executive of Scottish Care) and many others have helped us with what protection looks like for those places.
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"I don't like it. I would rather have visiting, I'd have hairdresseers visiting, and the all the usual things. We've had to effectively close them. It's horrible."
But the commentary raised some concern.
Annie Gunner Logan, the chief executive of CCPS, the Coalition of Care & Support Providers in Scotland in a now deleted tweet said: "So apropos of care homes, Jason Leitch just said on BBC Scotland that we 'corral' older people into 'institutions'.
"I'm sorry, but that's an outrageous thing to say. No wonder social care isn't treated as a priority, when such a senior leader is so ill-informed."
Mr Leitch replied: "Apologies Annie. That wasn’t a well chosen word in a live interview but I did go on to say care homes were individual's homes.
"I'm sure if you listened to me throughout the hundreds of interviews I've done you realise I'm trying to protect those living and working in care homes."
Elderly care in Scotland is facing an overhaul only four years after Scottish government reforms described as “the biggest since the creation of the NHS”.
Jeane Freeman, the Scottish health secretary, announced earlier this month that there was to be a major review of the way adult social care services are delivered including the possibility of creating a so-called national care service.
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