Author: Janice Higgins

PPE Helpline: NHS National Services for Scotland

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A helpline has been set up for services registered with the Care Inspectorate re access to personal protective equipment (PPE).  

All services who are registered with the Care Inspectorate and are providing social care support, who have confirmed/suspected cases of COVID-19, and have an urgent need for PPE after having fully explored local supply routes/discussions with NHS Board colleagues, can contact a triage centre that is being run by NHS National Services for Scotland (NHS NSS).

This helpline is to be used only in cases where there is an urgent supply shortage after business as usual routes have been exhausted and a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 has been identified.

The following contact details will direct providers to the NHS NSS triage centre for social care:

Email: support@socialcare-nhs.info

Phone: 0300 303 3020

The helpline will be open (8am – 8pm) 7 days a week.

When contacting the helpline,  providers will be required to:

a.         Answer a series of short screening questions.

b.         Confirm they have fully explored business as usual procurement route

c.         Confirm they have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 and therefore  have a need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

d.         Provide their Care Inspectorate registration number

Please note that this helpline is for all social care providers that are registered with the Care Inspectorate. If this does not apply to you please pass this information to anyone who might find it helpful.

This helpline is not for NHS staff or for NHS providers who have an NHS BAU supply route.

(Information shared by the Scottish Government Homelessness Team; March 2020)

How can we help? Covid-19 and our member organisations

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Dear Member

We wanted to let you know that, in line with Scottish Government advice, the Homeless Network Scotland team are changing the way we work from this week.

We have a busy events calendar and will postpone or cancel some dates that you may have in your diary. Some of our events we are determined to deliver – but will be doing this differently, digitally. We have introduced remote working for all staff.  

We also want to help you in any way we can.

Would you share information with us about the decisions and responses you have taken to the Coronavirus outbreak, and allow us to share that with others? There are two reasons for this:

  • Our membership includes many organisations, like yours, working at the centre of preparations to protect and safeguard the most vulnerable people in our communities across Scotland. We already know how useful swapping notes has been during the early stages of this pandemic. We want to further support that sharing of information in a way that makes it as easy as possible for you.
  • We want to highlight the incredible commitment and responses you are enabling, at a time when people are worried about whether enough is being done for those already at a disadvantage, including people in housing crisis. We want to promote organisations like yours, getting on with a difficult job in the most difficult circumstances.

So, for example:

  • What are you doing differently because of Coronavirus in terms of the services you deliver or the support you provide?
  • Is there anything you, or your organisation, have temporarily stopped doing in response to the outbreak?
  • Do you have any stories to share about the way people have responded? A wee photo of teams or individuals going beyond the call of duty would be welcome.

Please send us a few lines – or attach anything you already have prepared if easier and we’ll take it from there.

  • By phoning on our usual number 0141 420 7272 (this has been diverted to my mobile)
  • By sharing your stories on social media and including us @Homelessnetscot on Twitter when you tweet updates and information.

We look forward to hearing from you and being of assistance.

Our kind regards,

Janice Higgins
Head of Corporate Services

Covid-19: Leading homelessness charities call on national and UK Governments to protect people sleeping rough

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Dear Prime Minister,

As Chief Executives of leading homelessness charities, we appreciate the significant pressure the Government is facing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and stand ready to lend our support as you set out plans to help protect the most vulnerable in our society, including people who are facing homelessness.

People experiencing homelessness, particularly those who are rough sleeping, are especially vulnerable in this outbreak. They are three times more likely to experience a chronic health condition including asthma and COPD. It is therefore vital that they are recognised as a vulnerable group for the purposes of government planning.

We note the publication of Public Health England’s information on COVID-19 for hostel or day centre providers of services for people experiencing rough sleeping. We are concerned that these measures however, fail to provide the much more comprehensive plan and wide-ranging action needed to ensure that everyone facing homelessness is provided with self-contained accommodation, to ensure that they can self-isolate, and that people experiencing financial hardship are not left facing homelessness as a result of the impact of COVID-19.

Please find enclosed a full set of measures that we believe will help ensure people facing homelessness are protected during this period. As a matter of urgency, we are calling on governments to set out a plan, which will include detail on:

• Assistance from the Government to secure hotel style accommodation to meet the increased need for self-contained accommodation so that people can self-isolate.
• The removal of legal barriers in the homelessness legislation so that anyone who is at risk of, or is already homeless, can access self-contained accommodation. This should also include a suspension of rules that prevent people with no recourse to public funds from accessing housing and homelessness assistance.
• The provision of additional financial support through the Universal Credit system to ensure that people are not pushed into homelessness.
• Protecting renters from evictions by temporarily suspending the use of Section 21 and Section 8 evictions.
• Increasing the fund for Discretionary Housing Payments to help renters facing homelessness.
• Measures to ensure that people sleeping rough and living in hostels and shelter accommodation have rapid access to testing for the virus and healthcare assistance.
• An assurance that frontline workers in homelessness organisations are recognised as an emergency service as part of the response to COVID-19.
• A ringfenced proportion of the £5bn fund announced in the Budget last week to fight COVID-19 for local authorities to help deliver these measures.

In light of the speed of recent developments, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss with you and your officials as a matter of urgency how we can help to deliver this plan.


Yours sincerely,


Jon Sparkes, Crisis
Rick Henderson, Homeless Link
Howard Sinclair, St Mungo’s
Seyi Obakin, Centrepoint
Mick Clarke, The Passage
Steven Platts, Groundswell
John Puzey, Shelter Cymru
Margaret-Ann Brünjes, Homeless Network Scotland
Pam Orchard, Connection at St Martin’s
Bill Tidnam, Thames Reach


cc. Rt. Hon. Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Rt Hon. Mark Drakeford AM, Rt Hon. Matt Hancock MP