Cole-Hamilton: Scotland badly let down by SNP Government’s pandemic planning

“Today’s devastating findings confirm in black and white what we unfortunately already knew.

“SNP ministers including Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney were consistently warned that a pandemic was the single biggest threat to Scotland. Despite that, the Scottish Government they led was completely unprepared and distracted.

“Reports were confused, outdated or even copy and pasted. They were littered with a false sense of security and fatal assumptions about the threat we could face. Frontline staff across the NHS and social care were left in the dark because recommendations gathered dust on a shelf and those in charge of preparedness went months without meeting.

“Scotland was badly let down during the pandemic by both the SNP and Conservative governments. This report today must be an important step towards change.

“Our hearts go out to all those who lost loved ones during the pandemic, yet sadly these findings of systematic and political failings will provide little comfort for thousands of grieving families.”