ASIGNIFICANT number of Scots who rely on care services in their homes saw support reduced or withdrawn during the coronavirus lockdown – with the Scottish Human Rights Commission telling ministers this has had a “direct and detrimental effect” on people’s rights.

The commission said it was “deeply concerned” about the reduction in support provided, warning that family support that may have been put in place may not be “sustainable”.

It called on both the Scottish Government and the local authority body Cosla to “jointly commit to recommencing care and support at pre-pandemic levels, as a minimum”. In addition, where people now require increased support, either due to the effects of Covid-19 or the lockdown, the commission said a full assessment of their needs should be carried out.

It made the call in a new report looking at how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted on care received by people in their own home – which can include help with getting up in the morning or going to bed, as well as assistance to wash, use the toilet, eat, drink and take medication.

“A considerable proportion of people who use social care support at home have experienced either a reduction or complete withdrawal of support,” the report found.

“In many cases, the withdrawals and reductions seen in the early months of the pandemic happened rapidly, without either adequate communication or assessment of the proportionality of such decisions.”

“The impact of this policy and practice has had a direct and detrimental effect on people’s rights, including those protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.”

A third-sector organisation told the commission that some people had seen their social care packages “cut basically overnight”, with some of those who had previously received three visits a day not having anyone visiting to help them.

Overall the commission concluded that “Covid-19 has had a profound impact on the way in which social care support has been delivered in Scotland, leading to significant gaps in the realisation of rights for people who rely on such support”.

While family members may have stepped in to provide care during the lockdown period, the report said that it should “not be assumed” that this would be “sustainable over the long term”. The report added that the pandemic has “exacerbated pre-existing inadequacies in the models of social care access, funding, procurement and commissioning”.

Commission chair Judith Robertson said: “Social care is an essential investment in realising people’s rights. Ultimately, the commission wants

to see a social care system based on human rights, capable of delivering the outcomes enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”