Readers’ letters: Carers betrayed by withdrawal of free Covid vaccination

For years, unpaid carers have stood on the front lines – providing personal care, seeing loved ones through illness, and bearing repeated exposure to the virus. The Scottish Government itself previously recognised carers as a priority group during the pandemic. Yet in adopting the latest JCVI advice for autumn 2025, carers were dropped from eligibility, without consultation, without transparent impact analysis, and without justification in public health terms.

This move ignores the fact that many carers are older, have chronic health conditions themselves, or live in deprived areas where Covid risks are higher. It also dismisses the invisible toll: long Covid, functional decline, and the possibility that carers may become vectors to those they support.

Scotland’s ambitions for a National Care Service and its stated commitment to “valuing carers as equal partners” ring hollow when carers’ protection is stripped away. If this policy is not reversed, the cost will not only be personal suffering, but greater hospitalisations, more burden on the health and social care systems, and a broken trust in those who care most.

I call on the Scottish Government to restore free vaccine eligibility to unpaid carers, publish the health and equality impact assessments behind this decision, and commit to inclusive, transparent policymaking in future. We will not be silent while our protection is withdrawn.

Adrian Fletcher, Glasgow

Tactical error

It's interesting that, next May, John Swinney looks like he’ll opt for an entirely different election strategy to Nicola Sturgeon, who had a good record at winning elections. Sturgeon routinely dumbed down, in fact almost whitewashed out, her party’s Scexit monomania when campaigning prior to each election.

Then, when the SNP won, she’d immediately claim the result as an indisputable indyref2 mandate. Sturgeon’s underhand tactics cleverly gained her votes from those lukewarm or even mildly opposed to independence, briefly duping them into believing that the SNP’s raison d’être was managing Scotland’s public services.

Swinney seemingly fails to have learnt from Sturgeon and plans to go big with a focus on the constitution. He’s presumably trying not to lose separatist voters to Alba and the Greens by strongly demonstrating his cessationist credentials – but by doing so, he’s assuredly not going to win over many from the pro-UK majority.

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Scottish Borders

Electoral pacts

It is absolutely extraordinary that some polls are pointing to a potential SNP majority government following the next Scottish election.

How is it that my fellow Scots would forgive one of the most incompetent governments of our time? Catastrophic policy failures across every aspect of Scottish public life, for example the failed A9 dualling project where road traffic deaths continue to mount and the abject failure to procure and construct ferries in budget and on time.

A once world-leading education system trashed, an NHS on the brink of collapse and the highest drugs death rate in Europe. Three leaders in a year with Sturgeon, Yousaf and Swinney making the Tories look like a steady ship.

The opposition parties must now think long and hard about what is best for Scotland and if that means electoral pacts then so be it. They must provide a solution to remove or deprive the SNP of any sort of majority.

Richard Allison, Edinburgh

Pass judgement

It was refreshing to read (your report, 13 October) SNP Minister, Siobhian Brown talking about the issues in the NHS, saying “it needs to be dealt with – it’s unacceptable”.