A CHARITY which helps people who employ their own carers is calling on Scotland’s health minister Jeane Freeman to help them access vital personal protective equipment.

More than 2000 people across Scotland access their care through self directed support payments which means they employ their own personal assistants.

Around 500 of them are represented by charity Scottish Personal Assistant Employers Network (SPAEN) which says despite it being recognised that personal assistants should be given the adequate level of PPE they have had no answers from the Scottish Government on how to get it and are also concerned about the delay in receiving it.

SPAEN say they contacted the Scottish Government three weeks ago over the PPE issues, but are yet to receive a response or solution to the issue.

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It comes amid a row over PPE supplies being diverted to other parts of the UK. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says it would be "unconscionable and unacceptable." She spoke out after reports some companies are prioritising supplies to NHS England and care homes south of the border.

Now SPAEN says they are sending an open letter to Jeane Freeman regarding the PPE issue and will also bring it to the attention of Scottish Conservatives health spokesman Miles Briggs, Scottish Labour health spokesman Monica Lennon her counterpart Alex Cole-Hamilton at the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Alison Johnstone, Scottish Greens health spokesman. The President of CoSLA Alison Evison will also be alerted.

The open letter states: “Despite our repeated inquiries to the Cabinet Secretary’s office regarding the lack of provision and availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for personal assistant employers throughout Scotland, we have still not received any response or assurance this matter is being considered and addressed with the urgency it requires.

“We are now writing on behalf of SPAEN’s 500 Direct Payment employers and the 1,500 or so others throughout Scotland who have chosen to use a Direct Payment to meet their social care needs.

“We are receiving frequent requests for information, advice, support and calls for SPAEN to raise these continued concerns and matters with the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament and CoSLA as the body representing the local authority councils distributing these funds to PA employers.”

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Colin Millar, chief executive of SPAEN, said it seems the direct payment users are the forgotten part of the care system at a time of crisis.

He said: “People who chose this option have been assessed in needing help. They could be accessing it for themselves, a parent or a child and there could be any number of reasons why they are in need of care.

“We provide support in allowing them to manage this set up at home and they have naturally come to us over the PPE issue. We are talking about masks, gloves and aprons which we are being told the personal assistants should have. However, it seems like they are very much the forgotten carers of this crisis.”

The charity also highlighted people’s inquiries are being turned away because they are not registered care services. Mr Millar added this was in spite of repeated requests to the Cabinet Secretary to ensure personal assistants are recognised as “key social care workers.”

Mr Millar said the charity is now calling for a review of direct payment system and this also comes at a time when the charity saw its funding being cut.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Scottish Government recognises the important role of everyone providing social care support, and the need to do this safely.

“We are working with NHS National Services for Scotland to deliver PPE to all social care providers, and are working out how we can extend this service to the wider unregulated social care sector - including personal assistants and unpaid carers.”

Meanwhile, Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government will investigate reports that "supplies of PPE to care homes in Scotland are being diverted to England".

She said if care homes supplies are affected it would be "unacceptable" and increase pressure on the national stockpile, which would be "a source of real worry".

Ms Sturgeon said: "I hope nobody thinks this is in any way a point of a political nature. It is a point about fairness and co-operation as all of us deal with the challenge of this virus.

"All parts of the UK right now are facing supply challenges on PPE, indeed this is a global issue. Any situation where supplies were being diverted from one part of the UK to another without consultation or any sense of co-operation would clearly be unconscionable and unacceptable."

In response, Downing Street said it has not instructed any company to prioritise one part of the UK over another.

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