THE SCOTTISH Government has been warned lives could be put at risk if ministers continue to ignore united calls from opposition MSPs for an immediate public inquiry to take place into care homes during the pandemic.

Politicians joined forces to defeat the Scottish Government in a Holyrood vote, backing pleas for a public inquiry to be held in order to learn lessons as a second wave of Covid-19 sweeps across the country.

But Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has stressed that while the Scottish Government welcomes a public inquiry taking place, she insisted that it would not be appropriate for the probe to be carried out while the focus remained on suppressing the virus.

Ms Freeman also hit back at claims the Scottish Government is avoiding scrutiny over care homes.

The accusations were levelled at Nicola Sturgeon and Ms Freeman after a damning report from Public Health Scotland last week revealed that 113 hospital patients who had tested positive for the virus were transferred to care homes in the early weeks of the pandemic while thousands were moved to the institutions without being tested.

The Scottish Government has since updated testing rules meaning patients must test negative twice before being transferred while a winter plan published on Tuesday includes daily temperature checks taking place for residents and staff.

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Scottish Conservative health spokesperson, Donald Cameron, told MSPs that “significant and costly” mistakes have taken place in relation to care homes, “that have cost lives” as he demanded an inquiry is started immediately.

He called for “serious and urgent answers” to be given by ministers over a host of issues and warned that a “failure to protect Scotland’s most vulnerable people is a scandal”.

Mr Cameron added: “While we wait, the families of those who died in our care homes will get no answers and no closure.

“There have been significant failings that have probably led to deaths in our care homes.”

Labour health spokesperson, Monica Lennon, stressed that “getting the public inquiry underway is in the public interest”.

She added that a failure to do so “risks the inquiry getting kicked down the road, possibly until after the election”.

She added: “Cross-party work should be happening now so we can agree the terms of reference.

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“The timing is crucial. We could put lives at risk. We cannot afford to be slow.”

Ms Freeman insisted that “a public inquiry is critical” and an examination taking place is welcomed by the Scottish Government.

But she warned that “we remain in the middle of a global pandemic”, adding that “must remain our focus”.

Ms Freeman added: “This is not the time to divert any resources to set up an immediate public inquiry.”

Mr Cameron pointed to the First Minister being unable to put a date on when she was first made aware that known positive Covid patients were being moved to care homes – while his party has criticised Ms Sturgeon for her interpretation of the Public Health Scotland findings into the impact of the practice.

The report found that care home size was the most significant factor in care home outbreaks – but the report authors said it was “likely that hospital discharges were the source of introduction of infection in a small number of cases”.

Ms Freeman said that while the report authors “could not exclude” hospital discharges of having an impact, they concluded “it was not the major” factor.

She added: “We did what we believed to be right at the tome and with the resources available to us.”

The Health Secretary also said she would ““refute absolutely” any accusations that the Scottish Government has been spinning the report and avoiding scrutiny.

Scottish Greens health spokesperson, Alison Johnstone, who also backed calls for an immediate inquiry, said that the examination could help “prevent avoidable deaths”, adding that “the opportunity to do so should not be delayed”.

Lib Dems health spokesperson, Alex Cole-Hamilton criticised the decision in the early days of the pandemic to “speed up the movement” of hospital patients to care homes – labelling it “one of the biggest public health disasters led by policy in this country”.

He added that the public inquiry should take place to “avoid the future mistakes that may still come”.