A CLACKS care home has lost more than a dozen residents suffering from coronavirus, it has been confirmed.

The Orchard in Tullibody had recorded 14 deaths of Covid-19 positive residents as of Wednesday, May 20.

Care provider HC-One confirmed the figure after it was requested by the Scottish Labour Party.

Just one week ago, the Advertiser revealed there had been an outbreak of coronavirus at the care home, with officials saying the facility on Lychgate Road was now "in recovery".

Addressing the latest news on the number of deaths at the care home, a spokesperson for HC-One told the Advertiser: "Our thoughts and sympathies are with all families who have lost a loved one from coronavirus and we are doing our utmost to support them during this difficult time.

"Caring for our residents and supporting our colleagues is at the heart of what we do, and we are doing everything we can to make sure our residents and colleagues stay safe and well throughout these challenging times.

"We have a comprehensive coronavirus contingency plan in place, which was created by our clinical director and reflects the latest government guidance.

"We have secured the medical equipment, PPE, and supplies we need to protect residents and colleagues alike and we have had the necessary PPE throughout the outbreak, including at Orchard care home.

"HC-One have been regularly keeping in touch with the next of kin of our residents at The Orchard care home to inform them of the situation, as well as providing the necessary updates on their loved ones.

"We are providing round-the-clock support for all our teams and we are also grateful to relatives for their ongoing support and understanding."

Across all of HC-One's care homes in Scotland, 212 residents had passed away with confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19 as of May 22.

Scottish Labour Leader Richard Leonard said the "high number of deaths" at The Orchard showed "how quickly the virus can spread and how susceptible older people are".

He added: "Serious questions need to be answered by the Scottish Government about the delayed discharge policy at the beginning of this pandemic and also the impact that a lack of personal protective equipment and testing has had on the spread of the virus in care homes.

"At a time when we should have been protecting the most vulnerable in our society, it appears that in a rush to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed, care homes were badly let down.

"From the beginning, it was known that elderly people are more vulnerable to the virus, therefore it was inexcusable to discharge patients into care homes without first testing them – a policy that was in place for six weeks."

In response to those criticisms, a spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: "Our priority since the start of this pandemic has been to save lives in whatever setting, including care homes.

"Scientific evidence told us to expect a significant rise in the number of cases and it was critical to stop the NHS becoming overwhelmed.

"The effectiveness of lockdown measures and the public's compliance, together with the scaling up of NHS capacity, has meant that has not happened.

"The Scottish Government has from the outset taken firm action to protect care home staff and residents.

"In early March we issued clinical and practice guidance for care homes. That guidance was updated on March 26, and again on May 15.

"On 1 May, the first minister announced enhanced outbreak investigations in care homes and on May 17 the health secretary introduced enhanced clinical and professional oversight for all care homes.

"We have taken a number of other steps such as direct delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), a stepped increase in testing and emergency legislation to ensure continuity of care in the event of a care home failing.

"All our decisions on the Covid-19 response have been guided by the scientific advice available at the time and we continue to tailor that response as more is learned about the virus."

Latest figures from National Records of Scotland showed there had been 31 deaths in care homes, all linked to coronavirus, across the whole of Clackmannanshire as of May 17.