Scottish Government

Following the three Matter of Focus facilitated workshops for Personal Assistants (PAs) and employers, as part of the PA Programme Board, a feedback meeting will take place on Thursday 25 November. The meeting has been arranged to report on the outcome of the workshops and allow those who participated, and others who couldn’t attend, to […]

The first meeting of the Personal Assistant (PA) Programme Board took place in August 2021 and will continue to meet on a monthly basis. The Board is formed of PAs, Scottish Government, Independent Support Organisations plus more, with the shared aim of ensuring the integration of PAs into the overall social care workforce. Purpose of […]

Join our Members Consultation here. The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on a National Care Service, setting out their proposals to improve the way social care is delivered in Scotland. The consultation comes after the Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland found that current structures have not fully delivered the improvements intended […]

The Social Justice and Social Security Committee are asking for written views on the Carer’s Allowance Supplement Bill. The Bill provides for an increase in the amount of the carer’s allowance supplement for the period from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Anyone who qualifies for this supplement will get the increased amount. The […]

A dedicated online and paper based application form, administered by Scotland Excel on behalf of the Scottish Government, launched on Wed 30 June 2021 to pay Personal Assistants who are eligible to receive their £500 payment for NHS and Social Care staff. The Scottish Government has worked with disabled people led organisations and payroll providers […]

The Scottish Government has improved the guidance and claim process for their COVID-19 Social care worker death in service payment. In July 2020, the Scottish Government published details of the Coronavirus social care worker death in service payment, however the process for applying was not as efficient as it could be. The scheme provides a […]

It is promising to see the Scottish Government commit to creating a National Care Service as recommended in the Feeley review (Independent Review of Adult Social Care in Scotland). The National Care Service is set to oversee the delivery of care, improve standards, ensure enhanced pay and conditions for workers and provide better support for […]

The Scottish Government has provided an update on the Personal Assistant (PA) bonus. You can read the letter to PAs here.  The Scottish Government has published answers to Frequently Asked Questions asked by health and social care staff which includes updated details on eligibility. Further updates will be published to the FAQs page as and […]

You can now secure your place for our 2021 SDS National Voice conference, with special ‘early bird’ tickets available. We’re delighted to confirm that our annual National Voice conference will be taking place on Wednesday 17 March 2021. This year, following COVID-19 advice and guidance, the event will take place online, however you’ll still have […]

According to research from University College London, those most at risk of mistrust and misinformation about vaccines are the same groups at increased risk for illness and death from COVID-19; ethnic minorities and those from socioeconomically deprived backgrounds. Therefore, it is our responsibility to help reassure the people we support, that the COVID-19 vaccine is […]