A report from a coronavirus simulation exercise in Scotland two years ago, which revealed a clear gap in preparedness for an epidemic, should have “sent alarm bells ringing” for both the Scottish and UK Governments, Labour has insisted.
Exercise Iris, which took place at a hotel in Stirling in March 2018, simulated an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome,(MERS-Cov) a coronavirus like Covid-19.
Last year, the Scottish Government shared the report into the exercise with the UK Government’s NERVTAG expert group on emerging respiratory virus threats and its findings revealed unease among frontline staff, in particular over personal protective equipment.
The lack of PPE at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak across the UK was one of the key problems in tackling the infection in its early stages.
The Scottish Government published the findings of the report on Wednesday "given understandable interest in activity around preparedness or planning for infectious disease outbreaks"; the BBC reported it had done so after it had lodged a Freedom of Information request in April.
The report concluded the exercise had been "well-received by the participants” but that there were "no great surprises in the issues identified as priorities" although 14 actions were identified across a broad range of themes.
But it noted: "Amongst frontline staff there is unease at the lack of clarity on PPE availability, training and testing. This is a clear gap in Scotland’s preparedness for MERS-Cov and other outbreaks and needs to be addressed as soon as possible."
Earlier this week, Nicola Sturgeon denied there had been a problem with PPE during the outbreak, saying: "Right from the start we have been working to make sure that we had PPE for those who needed it.
"We have stockpiles in place, we have replenished those stockpiles as we go along. We are building a supply chain. This is an issue we have taken seriously from day one and we will continue to do that," added the First Minister.
But Ian Murray, the Shadow Scottish Secretary, said the Exercise Iris report and its non-publication for two years raised “serious questions about the failures of both the Scottish and UK Governments to get PPE to the frontline”.
He told The Herald: “This simulation, carried out in Scotland and shared with UK Government advisers, should have set alarm bells ringing and ensured measures were put in place to prepare for any future pandemic.
“We need to know what action was taken by both governments and we need to know why NHS and care home staff were forced to work without PPE at the start of this outbreak.”
The Edinburgh South MP added: “The Scottish Government’s track record on transparency has been woeful during this crisis, so it’s time for some honesty.”
Wendy Chamberlain for the Liberal Democrats said: “The coronavirus crisis is leaving the most vulnerable at risk and people are rightly worried about their loved ones.
“The First Minister is asking a lot of the public during this crisis. With the testing capacity and PPE supplies so low and so many tragic deaths in our care homes, people deserve clear, honest answers.
“Despite the recommendations resulting from Exercise Iris in relation to areas such as PPE provision, it is increasingly clear that the Scottish Government will have questions to answer.
“Once we are through this crisis, there must be an independent inquiry with the strongest possible powers to review the Scottish Government’s actions, so we can learn lessons,” added the North East Fife MP.
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