Social care staff were the unsung heroes of the Covid pandemic.
These frontline workers looked after care home residents in often heartbreaking circumstances. But they also carried out their vital jobs while receiving poor pay and conditions.
A postcode lottery means social care staff in different parts of the country can receive different wage levels. The pandemic also shone a spotlight on the disgrace of some carers not being entitled to sick pay.
Ill workers could not afford to take a day off and this may have contributed to the spread of the disease. The Scottish Government eventually stepped in by introducing a special fund to pay staff when they were ill or had to self-isolate.
It was not enough, but it helped some care workers at a difficult time during a period of national crisis. The Government decided that the scheme would end on March 31, leaving many high and dry.
This is a devastating blow as sick pay is still not available to every social care worker. Age Scotland has warned that staff are leaving the sector for professions where full sick pay is standard.
The GMB trade union has also said staff will have to use annual leave if they fall ill. Ministers must reverse this decision and allay the anxiety felt by many.
They should then get on with the task of standardising terms and conditions and lifting the floor for all these heroes.
Mental health strategy needed
Our political leaders have paid lip service to the mental health crisis facing so many Scots.
But, despite the warm words, waiting times remain high and timely services are not being delivered. A shock new poll underlines the scale of the epidemic.
Nearly 60 per cent of Scots experienced anxiety which interfered with their daily lives over the past two weeks. Around half of those with feelings of anxiety said they keep it a secret while about one third admitted they are not coping.
Separately new figures show that more than 74,000 NHS staff have missed work with mental illness in the last five years. This amounts to about 46 per cent of the NHS’s workforce north of the border.
Experts are rightly demanding a 10-year mental health strategy which majors on prevention and co-ordinated government action.
Ministers must get to grips with this crisis and start delivering on their promises.
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