Category: News

Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on Housing, has published 13 urgent measures all countries should take in keeping with their human rights obligations around the right to housing during Covid-19. Reassuringly, Scotland is progressing on each of these fronts, but our best responses must continue and improve post-Covid19.

New guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) has been published for health and social care workers responding to coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland. The guidance, which has been agreed by the four UK Chief Medical Officers and Chief Nursing Officers, follows an urgent review of the existing guidance against the latest evidence and WHO advice, on the safest way to protect health and social care staff. A very useful 30-second info video is also available.

Crisis have today opened a grants programme to support local homelessness organisations across the UK respond to the Covid-19 emergency. Part of their ‘In this Together’ campaign, it is a simple process to apply and grants are available in two programmes, either up to £5k or up to £50k.

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)

Applications are now open for the Scottish Government’s Third Sector Resilience Fund. The £350m support package in response to Coronavirus will support organisations across the charity sector who are at risk of closure due to a sharp decrease in income or are unable to deliver their services due to the pandemic.

The fund’s primary intention is to help these organisations to stabilise and manage cashflows over this difficult period. The TSRF is delivered by Firstport, Social Investment Scotland and Corra Foundation and it offers charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises grants of £5,000-£100,000.  In addition, there will be up to a further £5m available in fully flexible, 0% interest loans starting at £50,000.

Connie Williamson, Head of Grants at Corra Foundation said: “We know that many organisations are experiencing serious disruption and financial difficulties directly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This fund is designed to help organisations get through the next few months and we aim to process applications within 10 days of being received. There are detailed guidelines on the SCVO website for applying, which organisations should read carefully before making an application to minimise any delay.”

To be eligible, interested organisations must be:

• a charity, social enterprise or voluntary organisation based in Scotland and/or primarily delivering services/activities in Scottish communities
• already delivering those products or services prior to March 2020
• needing funding to stabilise cashflows directly as a result of the impact of COVID-19, as opposed to pre-existing financial difficulties.

 For more information and to apply, visit the SCVO’s Coronavirus Third Sector Information Hub.