Updated: 29/07/2021, 11:06 am
Regulators only investigated 5% of complaints about care homes for older people as Covid-19 was leaving a trail of tragedy across Scotland last year.
Shock data shows a huge drop in the number of probes carried out by the Care Inspectorate into concerns raised by relatives of residents, as well as carers and staff.
It has been confirmed that just 122 of the 2,316 complaints made to the regulator about facilities for older people were fully investigated in 2020/21, down from more than 600 in previous years.
The finding has emerged as part of work on a special media collaboration project involving The Press and Journal, The Courier, The Scotsman, The Herald and STV.