Nearly half of care homes in Scotland could already have residents with coronavirus, a leading social care representative body warns.

It comes amid increasing warnings that a lack of testing and protective equipment is putting care workers and those they look after at risk.

Earlier this month, the deaths of 13 residents at a care home in Glasgow were linked to covid-19. Days later a care worker in West Dunbartonshire died after contracting the virus.

On Friday, the managing director of Everycare Edinburgh, Martin Walker, told healthandcare.scot how he had been unable to access any protective kit for his staff from government, including face masks or visors.

The coronavirus outbreak is placing unprecedented pressure on Scotland’s care sector, with care homes at particular risk of the virus affecting multiple residents.

Scottish Care represents hundreds of third, independent and voluntary sector care organisations and says over 400 care homes could already have clients infected with the virus.

They say a lack of testing is leaving the sector without important information and continuing to put vulnerable people at risk.

Privately run care homes make up over 80% of places available in Scotland.

The Care Inspectorate is the regulatory body for social care and has asked all care homes to notify them of suspected cases or when a resident dies after contracting covid-19. The organisation has come under fire after refusing a request from the BBC to publish this information.

The Scottish Conservatives have called for the Care Inspectorate’s figures to be made public. The party’s health spokesperson has written to Health Secretary Jeane Freeman urging her to release the “crucial” details as soon as possible.

The way coronavirus deaths are recorded has changed recently. The National Records of Scotland has now moved to a seven day service in order to cope with the increase in registrations, but the latest weekly figures are not a full account of those who have died where coronavirus was either noted on their death certificate as confirmed or presumed to have contributed to their passing.

Concerns over a blanket ban on care home residents being admitted to hospital if coronavirus was suspected or confirmed were raised earlier this month and add to the sector’s woes when it comes to dealing with covid-19.

Campaigners highlighted guidance published by the Scottish Government that they said could lead to individuals being denied acute treatment on the sole basis that they lived in a care home.

One care home manager told healthandcare.scot the guidance left her fighting for treatment for three residents who she thought had chest infections and not covid-19.

Had she not done so, Scottish Care chief executive Dr Donald Macskill said, they would have been moved on to palliative care when what was needed was antibiotics.

Although the Scottish Government has said this guidance is under review – the First Minister has since stated that “anyone of any age, no matter where live, if hospital is the best place for them they should be there” – the Scottish Human Rights Commission has also warned that it could see disabled and older people denied treatment during the pandemic.

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