Supporting care services that experience critical staff shortages during Covid-19

On 3 April, we introduced a new notification on staffing levels designed to enable us to give you the help and support you may urgently need in order to cope with the impact of Covid-19 on your service.

Put simply, your notifications will enable us to identify, co-ordinate and put in place the support you need when staffing levels are critically compromised due to Covid-19.

The notification also includes a free text box so you can tell us about other issues, such as a crucial need for PPE.

It is essential that you use the notification to let us know the situation in your care service.

The notification lets you tell us which stage you are at:

• Green, with enough staff/skills mix
• Amber, stretched and only just managing
• Red, where you no longer have the staffing levels/skills mix to meet people’s needs.

We will also share this information appropriately, together with other information we are gathering, with others who can help such as local authorities, health and social care partnerships, Scottish Government, and the NHS/SSSC Hub to deliver support across partnership areas and nationally.  

This can be done via eForms, or using the links below.

This new notification is in addition to others we have recently introduced or adjusted to help us support care during Covid-19.

• Outbreak of infectious diseases: for any outbreak of an infectious disease, including Covid-19. 
• Death of a service user – for any death of a service user, including from confirmed or suspected covid19.
• Change of circumstances related to covid19 – this is a new notification that services can use to tell us about any changes to how they operate that is specifically related to covid19.  This is only available through eForms. 
• Covid19: staff shortages – this is the newest notification and enables services to tell us about changes to staffing levels and what additional staffing is required. 

If you are using the notification links above, once you click 'next page', your form will be submitted and you will be returned to our homepage.   You will not receive confirmation the form has been submitted.   If you need to complete another notification, please click ‘Covid-19 – Information and guidance for care services’ to redirect you back to this page

These additional notifications are helping us to better understand and inform others of the pressures services across Scotland are facing during Covid-19, so that support measures can be considered and offered.

Find out more about how the SSSC is supporting staffing at this time.

• SSSC
• Coronavirus
• Covid-19

Independent Care Review statement

The Independent Care Review’s aim is to identify and deliver lasting change in Scotland’s ‘care system and leave a legacy that will transform the wellbeing of infants, children and young people.

They have published a statement on what's next for the care review including information about a new helpline, set up with Health in Mind, to  provide a dedicated confidential telephone counselling service to anyone involved who wishes to talk, and this will continue to be available until 31 May 2020.

You can read the full statment on their website www.carereview.scot/care-review-scottish-government-statement/

• Care Review