Death in service payment and sick pay boost for social care workers

Death in service cover will be extended to social care workers during the pandemic, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

A fund has also been announced to provide enhanced sick pay, above the statutory payment of £95.85 per week, to care workers who have received a positive test for Covid-19.

Ministers had faced pressure to make the changes after death in service cover was extended to all NHS workers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Scottish Labour had called for the extra financial help for social care workers, highlighting those who were financially penalised for self-isolating with suspected Covid-19.

Now, in additional to the sick pay fund, the Scottish Government has also announced it will give a one-off payment of £60,000 to a named survivor of any social care worker who dies without death in service cover in their contracted pension arrangements.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: Social care staff provide a critical and valuable service, never more apparent than during this emergency period.

While some employers offer employment contracts closer to the Scottish Government's fair work principles, it is clear that others do not.

In recognition of the current exceptional circumstances and in order to ensure that social care workers are given the urgent support they deserve, we will develop a Scottish Government-funded scheme for care workers in respect of sick pay and death in service benefits.

These fair work issues and how they are realised in commissioning contracts will require to be addressed but, in the current circumstances, my focus now is on fairness for the care workers affected.

We will continue to work with local government, social care providers and trades unions on further details of the plans over the course of next week.''

Earlier this week, one of the UK's largest care home firms, HC-One, announced a change to provide full pay to workers who are self-isolating while waiting for a positive Covid-19 test.

The extra money is also with being paid retrospectively to those who were given statutory sick pay having tested positive, following a campaign by the GMB union.