But, as there is no current testing of residents or staff in nursing homes, their deaths can only be recorded as due to “suspected” coronavirus.

It was estimated this week that the national care home death toll might already have topped 1,000.

The eight who died all had underlying health issues and were all in their late 90s and early 100s.

Jack Ryan, chief executive officer of Newark Care, which runs Westacres, told the Jewish Telegraph: “We really need testing to help allay fears among our staff.

“None of the residents who died showed full-blown symptoms of coronavirus, but they all had slightly-raised temperatures.”

Mr Ryan added that he had contacted East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, but was told that there would be no additional personal protective equipment (PPE) made available.

The home was also short of masks, but has since received donations from dental surgeries, South Lanarkshire College and local companies.

Any care professional visiting someone with suspected symptoms in the home would need a new mask each time they go into the room, which would make it “very resource intensive”, according to Mr Ryan.

Some of the 60-plus staff at Westacres have had to self-isolate with possible coronavirus symptoms but, again, there is no access to testing to confirm if they must be off work.

Mr Ryan explained that staff at Westacres are remaining upbeat, but that the lack of masks and testing had caused tension with Newark Care.

“They are all obviously anxious about what is happening and it is a worry for them and their families,” he said. “We don’t control testing or PPE, that is down to the government.

“Some regions, like Aberdeenshire and Lothian, have had testing and there are government ministers going on TV saying testing is available.

“We then have staff phoning the NHS about it, only to be told, ‘no, you can’t get it’, or ‘the employer has to organise it’, which is not correct.”

With some of the residents, immediate relatives were allowed to visit, but with strict social distancing in place, which meant they could not be with their loved ones in their final hours.

“They could not go in for one last cuddle — I was almost in tears when I was told about that,” Mr Ryan said.

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