Edinburgh Leisure announces further venues to reopen

Edinburgh Leisure announces further venues to reopen and new ‘what to expect’ video

Edinburgh Leisure has added a further two venues, Leith Victoria and Gracemount Leisure Centre to its list of venues that will reopen on Monday, 14 September 2020. 

These will join the already announced venues of the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Drumbrae Leisure Centre, Craiglockhart Leisure and Tennis Centre, and Ainslie Park.

Edinburgh Leisure’s other venues will be opening up on an incremental basis over the next few weeks after this.  Their six golf courses and outdoor tennis courts at the Meadows and Craiglockhart are already open too.

In preparation for helping customers understand what to expect when Edinburgh Leisure reopens its venues, they have produced a helpful ‘walk-through’ video, which is now live on the Edinburgh Leisure website.

There are also some helpful guidelines for each of the activities:  swim, gym, fitness class and tennis and badminton booking.

An Edinburgh Leisure spokesperson said:  “We’ve missed our customers and are really looking forward to reopening our doors and welcoming our customers back. Over the last five months, we’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received and have loved seeing the creative ways our customers have found to continue keeping active while in lockdown.

“All our efforts are focused on making our venues as safe as possible and we hope the guidelines and our video, showing customers what their fitness experience will look like in a post-lockdown world, will be helpful.

“Edinburgh Leisure is committed to ‘building back better’ to a sustainable Edinburgh Leisure and to continue making a positive impact to the citizens of Edinburgh’s health and wellbeing – as we have done for the last 22 years.”

Find out more about Edinburgh Leisure’s reopening plans: 

https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/fitness-at-home/reopening-plans

While some leisure venues have reopened their venues on Monday, Edinburgh Leisure is different from some organisations/companies who might operate just one or two venues, which might make it easier for them to open yesterday.

However, Edinburgh Leisure has such a diverse range of venues and bringing venues and services back to life in a new Covid-19 environment, after being closed for five months, is a big and complex task.

It is, unfortunately, not just a case of reopening doors again. Whilst properties and pools have been maintained during the course of lockdown, we furloughed over 900 staff during this time.  We only kept a small cohort of staff working throughout the lockdown, in a bid to manage costs. In the main, this has been senior operations management, finance, and our maintenance team.

To ensure the safety of our customers and staff, and before we can reopen our doors, we need to ensure that our staff’s compliance training is refreshed and any qualifications are current.

We also need to prepare each venue individually, with the necessary signage, sanitisation stations, and ensure they comply with any Covid guidelines.  Pools also need to be cleaned and heated to an acceptable level, which can take up to a week and gyms, fitness studios and courts prepared to allow for social distancing.

Perhaps more than ever before there is recognition of the importance and value of good health. Edinburgh Leisure remains committed to supporting and enabling the citizens of Edinburgh to live active and healthy lives, working with the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver on our shared goals to achieve this.

In summary:

  • When we do re-open (as per our golf courses) – venues will look different, services will change, the activity programme will be different, the Edinburgh Leisure experience will be different. In short, everything will have to adapt and change to ensure a safe operating environment for customers and employees. For example: all activities will be bookable to allow for track and trace and we will be cashless. However, we will continue to provide an enjoyable experience for our customers.
  • The senior management team at “Edinburgh Leisure is committed to ‘building back better’ to a sustainable Edinburgh Leisure and to continue making a positive impact to the citizens of Edinburgh’s health and wellbeing – as we have done for the last 22 years.”
  • Since opening on 4th June Edinburgh Leisure golf has been performing very well. We have undoubtedly benefited from the good (in the main) weather, people having more time, a lack of alternative activities and, also the 5 mile travel restrictions that were in place for the first three months of lockdown. The gradual relaxation of lockdown measures has of course changed things e.g. more people are returning to work and golfers can travel freely to other courses but golf has continued to perform well. So, the golf income has been a big positive amidst all the financial challenges and uncertainties facing Edinburgh Leisure and has helped to reduce our monthly financial deficit.

How are communities responding to Covid-19?

Public Health Scotland would like to understand more about how communities have responded to the impact of Covid-19 on the way we live our lives, right now and in the next few months, and how local community groups and organisations have supported this.

We are looking for examples in two areas: 

  • Firstly, how communities have adapted to the challenge of how we get around – has the way you travel changed as a result of Covid-19? Perhaps by walking, wheeling and cycling more, or as a result of changes to public and community transport services. What impact has this had?
     
  • Secondly, we are looking for examples of how communities and organisations have used their local areas differently by adapting streets and spaces, for example for children’s outdoor play or for leisure and relaxation, or how they have used or changed existing spaces for example parks, areas with trees or grass.

If you have examples to share you can submit your information and we will be in touch with you.

Did your community group or local project receive copies of the COVID Food Group August newsletter? If not, don’t worry – a few are still available!

Email northedinnews@gmail.com to arrange delivery.

Suspicious behaviour in Wardieburn

Police are appealing for information following a number of reports of a man acting suspiciously in the Wardieburn area over the past several days.

The man in question is described as being black, around 5ft 7, with short dark hair and a scruffy beard. He has been seen wearing a green waterproof jacket.

Inspector Claire Masterton said: “We have had several reports of this man approaching women in the street and behaving in a strange manner, as well as knocking on doors in the local area.

“In addition to those individuals who have reported concerns to Police Scotland, we are aware that there have been a number of posts on social media about this man’s activities.

“I would firstly like to reassure residents that we are investigating the matter thoroughly and there will be a police presence in the area. I’d also ask anyone with information to please contact police, quoting incident 2699 of 30 August.

Following our earlier appeal about a man acting suspiciously and approaching woman in the Wardieburn area over the past several days, we can confirm a 37-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (Wednesday, 2 September, 2020).

Sergeant Aaron Chadha said: “We continue to carry out enquiries and would ask anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 2699 of 30 August.”

Guidance on children with non-COVID ailments

Education Secretary John Swinney has asked council Directors of Education and Head Teachers to assist in sharing more information on coronavirus to parents and carers.

In addition, Scotland’s National Clinical Director Jason Leitch has written an open letter for parents with answers about when children need to be tested for coronavirus.

Cold-like Symptoms

  • We recommend testing only for those with a continuous cough, fever, or loss of or change in the sense of taste or smell. The UK senior clinicians continue to keep the symptoms for case definition under review and will continue to use evidence to adjust these if it becomes necessary.

COVID-19 Symptoms

The key symptoms to be aware of are:

  • A new continuous cough
  • fever/high temperature
  • loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste

If a young person or a child in your care develops any of the above symptoms, they should self-isolate and you should book them a test as soon as possible using the online portal at NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect, or by calling 0800 028 2816.

Education Secretary John Swinney said: “We know that many concerned parents, acting in their children’s best interests, have been keeping children off school. Parents, carers and schools need clear and simple national information, and that is why we are providing further advice today.

“It is critical that we remain vigilant for the symptoms of COVID-19 and this information explains the actions that we should take if someone develops signs of COVID-19 symptoms, either at school or at home.

“We will ensure that pupils, teachers and other school staff get the support they need to remain safe and feel comfortable in the school environment.”

Read National Clinical Director, Jason Leitch, letter here.

Clear information has also been published on the Parent Club website.

Link to relevant NHS Inform web page.

Guidance on how COVID-19 symptoms differ from those of other infections circulating at this time of year, from Scotland’s National Clinical Director:

Common cold and COVID-19 symptoms

To parents/carers

I understand these last few months have often been challenging, particularly for parents and carers. Now that schools and nurseries have returned I am writing to provide some advice where a child or young person in your care presents with symptoms of the common cold or similar bugs during this pandemic.

Following the return of schools after a prolonged break, it is common for colds and similar viral infections to circulate. In many cases, children will be well enough to attend school and continue their learning with little or no interruption to their education. In other cases, for instance where they have quite a heavy cold, they may need to take a day or two off to recover.

This is not the case for children and young people with potential COVID-19 symptoms, they are required to self-isolate and seek a test through www.NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect or by calling 0800 028 2816.

In order to ensure your children do not miss out on their education, it is important to be clear about how COVID-19 symptoms differ from those of other infections that we normally see circulating at this time of year.

COVID-19 symptoms

It is important that all of us – including those who make up the community around a school – are vigilant for the symptoms of COVID-19 and understand what actions we should take if someone develops them, either at school or at home.

The main symptoms to be aware of are:

  • new continuous cough
  • fever/high temperature
  • loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste

If a young person or a child in your care develops any of the above symptoms, they should self-isolate and you should book them a test as soon as possible at www.NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect, or by calling 0800 028 2816.

We recommend testing only for those with a continuous cough, fever, or loss of or change in the sense of taste or smell. The UK senior clinicians continue to keep the symptoms for case definition under review and will continue to use evidence to adjust these if it becomes necessary.

It is essential that people who have COVID-19 symptoms, or who share a household with someone who has symptoms, do not attend school, nursery or other childcare settings, and must self-isolate along with all members of their household. If the test is negative, self-isolation can end for everyone. If the test is positive, Test and Protect will give you further advice.

Cold-like symptoms

If, however, your child does not have symptoms of COVID-19 but has other cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, they do not need to be tested and they and you do not need to self-isolate. Your child can go to school if fit to do so.

The Scottish Government appreciates the huge effort being made by parents, carers and school staff to ensure the risk of COVID-19 is minimised and to support children’s education.

Further information

For further advice please visit the Parent Club website at: www.parentclub.scot or www.nhsinform.scot.

Professor Jason Leitch
National Clinical Director
Scottish Government

Heart Research UK Healthy Tip: Eatwell guide

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Using the Eatwell Guide to plan your meals

A healthy, well-balanced diet is important for managing your weight and preventing serious health problems, including heart disease. The Eatwell guide is a visual tool that represents government guidelines on healthy eating.
In this Healthy Tip, we give you some tips for planning a healthy, well-balanced diet using the Eatwell Guide.

What is the Eatwell Guide?

The Eatwell Guide shows the proportions of different types of food that make up a healthy diet. This is represented as a plate, which is divided into five food groups.

The Eatwell Guide is appropriate for most people, but it should not be used in meal-planning for very young children.

It is not essential to achieve this balance with every meal, but it is good to try to get the proportions right over a day or longer. Try to consume a variety of foods from each of the food groups to ensure you consume a range of nutrients.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables should make up over a third of the foods in your diet as they are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. However, most people do not eat enough.

Fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced fruit and vegetables all count.

Fruit juice and/or smoothies should be limited to around 150ml a day due to their high sugar and low fibre content. Try adding fruit to breakfast cereals and increase the amount of veg or salad in your lunches and evening meals.

Potato, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates

Starchy foods, such as pasta, rice, bread, breakfast cereals and potatoes provide us with energy and essential nutrients. These starchy foods should make up just over a third of your diet.

Choose wholegrain versions, such as wholemeal pasta, brown rice, wholemeal bread and wholegrain breakfast cereals.

You can also try to leave the skin on potatoes for extra fibre. Get your day off to a good start with a bowl of wholegrain cereal or a slice of wholemeal toast with some fruit.

Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins

Try to include beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat or other protein with most meals.
These foods are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Try to choose a lean cut of meat, such as chicken without the skin, as it is lower in saturated fat.

If you eat fish, aim to have two portions every week, including a portion of oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel or sardines as these contain the essential fatty acids that are good for your heart.

Oils and spreads

Try to choose unsaturated oils and spreads, such as rapeseed, vegetable, olive and sunflower oils. Try to cut down on butter, hard margarine, coconut oil and animal fats as these are all high in saturated fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease. When cooking fatty meats, such as bacon, cut away as much of the fat as possible. All fats are high in calories (energy) and should be consumed in small amounts.

Dairy and alternatives

Try to include some dairy or a dairy alternative with each meal. Products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are a good source of protein as well as some vitamins. They are also a key source of calcium which is vital when it comes to keeping your bones strong. Choose lower fat and sugar dairy products where possible. This includes reduced fat cheese or fat-free and sugar-free yoghurt.

High fat, salt and sugar foods

Foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar should be consumed in small amount.
These foods, which can be eaten as an occasional treat, include chocolate, cakes, biscuits, sugary soft drinks, butter and ice cream.

Water, lower fat milk, sugar-free drinks.

Aim to drink around six to eight glasses of fluid every day. Water, lower fat milk and low sugar/sugar free drinks (including tea and coffee) all count. Fruit juice and smoothies can also count towards our fluid consumption. However, they can be high in sugar and low in fibre, so we should drink no more 150ml of these in a day.

You can find more healthy tips, recipes and advice at heartresearch.org.uk.

Caeden’s done it!

Ben Nevis victory for seven year old boy with cerebral palsy

Caeden Thomson (7) from Corby in Northamptonshire has conquered Ben Nevis to raise money for disability equality charity Scope and his local hospital.

The climb in total took 13.5 hours up and down.

Mum Lisa, who along with Caeden’s brother, sister and dad were with him every step of the way, said: “Caeden is an absolute legend. We started at 9am and reached the top at 5.30pm – and got back to the bottom at 10.30pm.

“It was such a massive challenge and much, much harder than any of us expected. There were many hard time along the way – from three quarters of the way up the pathway is just massive boulders and very hard to climb, and even at the top we didn’t think he would make it down.

“There were danger areas where carrying was very difficult, so Caeden did have to walk down a lot of it too. The temperature dropped hugely and many climbers said they were turning back. But we made it!

“We are all super proud of him, he deserves a medal! People we have spoken to at the campsite said they climbed it once and they will never climb it again – we now know why! Last night no-one could move or celebrate, so today we are resting up and will celebrate tonight!! We all love Caeden so much and can’t believe his passion for getting to the top.”

Caeden said: “My body hurts a lot but I’m ok! It was really, really hard! I felt sick and exhausted at the top, and I felt exhausted but happy at the bottom!”

Money raised will give back to the NHS Children’s services and the physiotherapy department at Kettering General Hospital and disability equality charity Scope.

To donate, click here

Scottish Construction Leadership Forum releases recovery plan

A draft recovery plan for the construction sector in Scotland has been launched by the Scottish Construction Leadership Forum (CLF).

The plan, which has been created collaboratively with industry, sets out the pathway for joint action between industry and the public sector in response to the impact caused by the global pandemic on the on the construction sector.

The construction industry in Scotland has, like many others, been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector in Scotland which provided £7.8 billion GVA to the Scottish economy and employs 143,000 people in over 50,000 enterprises, is estimated to have contracted by 28.6 per cent in June as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic compared to the same month a year ago (June 2019). 

The recovery plan has been created through extensive consultation and collaboration with more than 50 organisations across business, Scottish Government, trades unions and other bodies, including the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum, and represents a shared view from across the sector of a plan to get industry back on its feet. 

The plan outlines the immediate and short-term response to Covid-19 and sets out a pathway between this and the longer-term transformation required to build a stronger, fairer and greener economic future for Scotland.

Peter Reekie, chief executive of the Scottish Futures Trust and chair of the editorial group of the Construction Leadership Forum, said: “The construction industry in Scotland has received a major blow from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“However, the level of collaboration which has gone in to preparing this Recovery Plan is unprecedented and sets a strong foundation for transformative recovery for the industry. I urge all stakeholders with an interest in the construction and related industries in Scotland to feed in your thoughts to make it even stronger.”

Ken Gillespie, chair of the Industry Leadership Group, said: “This plan has only been possible through the depth of collaboration across the sector, and hard work of all involved, and demonstrates the sector’s ability to come together in a time of crisis.

“This is only the beginning though. The plan will evolve and respond to reflect the feedback and the needs of the sector. We are therefore calling for industry to review and contribute to the plan.”

The plan identifies five areas for concerted and collaborative efforts over the coming months and has established Sub-Groups to develop and progress joint action plans:

  1. Pipeline & Commercials
  2. Skills & Workforce
  3. Transformation
  4. Supply Chain Resilience & Capability
  5. Industry Data & Insight

The plan calls for key actions to respond to immediate needs which include: 

  • A clear pipeline of work brought to market quickly and efficiently on fair commercial terms which reflect the reality of the Covid-19 environment.
  • Support of employment, fairness of work and those who may become unemployed through what will be a difficult period.
  • Transformation of working practices to maintain and enhance worker safety whilst enabling productivity in the Covid-19 working environment.

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “The construction sector supports many other areas of our economy so it is important that we maintain the health and vitality of the industry.

“In order to develop this plan, we have reached new heights of collaboration but we are now keen to hear from the wider industry to ensure that we arrive at a plan that will preserve jobs and help to revive our economy.”

The Scottish Construction Leadership Forum (CLF), which has led the development of the plan, is a collaborative initiative of Construction Scotland and the Scottish Government.

It was established in March 2019. Chaired by Housing Minister Kevin Stewart for the duration of the crisis, it widened its membership in response to Covid-19 and has already developed and implemented plans to get the industry safely back to work to develop and implement an action plan of improvement initiatives aligned with Government policies and the Construction Scotland Industry Strategy.

Several streams of work are ongoing and prior to Covid-19, the Forum was at the early stages of considering a wider agenda for change across the industry.

The CLF shared vision is of an industry that promotes a safe, productive, profitable, digitally-enabled, low-carbon, and socially responsible construction industry which offers quality jobs and fair work to a highly skilled and diverse workforce and a quality and life-time value product to its customers.

The recovery plan is available to view on https://www.constructionforum.scot/. 

Industry is invited to send feedback, comments and questions via the website on enquiries@constructionforum.scot by 15 September.

CLF will take all feedback on board to help develop the plan further, with regular updates published on the CLF site.

UK-wide study shows children with gastrointestinal symptoms should be included in COVID-19 testing strategies

‘we may want to consider refining the testing criteria for children to include GI symptoms’

Over 1,000 children from Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, known as ‘COVID Warriors’ have had their antibodies measured in the UK-wide trial called ‘Seroprevalence of SARS-Cov-2 infection in healthy children’.

The findings were published on Friday (28 August) as a pre-print on the server medRxiv.

The study is led by Queen’s University Belfast, in partnership with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Northern Ireland and Public Health England.

The aim of the study, which began in May and is ongoing, is to assess the number of children who have had COVID-19, the symptomatology of infection and if those children have antibodies that may be able to fight off the infection.

To conduct the study, the researchers are measuring children’s COVID-19 antibodies via blood tests at baseline, with further tests planned at two months and six months.

The researchers have found that following the first wave of the pandemic, seven per cent of the children tested positive for antibodies, indicating previous infection with COVID-19.

Half of the children with COVID-19 reported no symptoms, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (such as diarrhoea and vomiting) were also more common than cough or changes in the children’s sense of smell or taste, which may have implications for the testing criteria used for children.

The findings also showed young children under 10 years of age were just as likely to have evidence of prior infection as older children, and that asymptomatic children were just as likely to develop antibodies as symptomatic children.

Dr Tom Waterfield, researcher from the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast and lead on the study said: “Following the first wave of the pandemic in the UK, we have learnt that half of children participating in this study are asymptomatic with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and those with symptoms do not typically have a cough or changes to their smell/taste, with GI upset a far more common symptom.

“This study has shown that we may want to consider refining the testing criteria for children to include GI symptoms.”

Health and Social Care Research & Development Division (HSC R&D Division) of the Public Health Agency plays an ongoing role in supporting the conduct of high-quality health and social care research and has provided funding to support the delivery of this important study.

Professor Ian Young, Chief Scientific Advisor and Director of HSC Research and Development said: “Research studies are vital at this time, and thanks to efforts such as the COVID Warriors study, we now know more about COVID-19 in terms of the exposure of children in the UK to the SARS-CoV-2 virus since the pandemic began.

“These significant findings can now be explored further as this research continues to monitor community transmission in children, to help tackle the spread of COVID-19.”

The study is supported by funding from HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency, The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and is also subsidised by a donation from the Queen’s Foundation thanks to a past graduate of the University through a charitable gift in their will.

It is being delivered in partnership with The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Public Health England, the Ulster Independent Clinic, NHS Glasgow and Greater Clyde, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

More people than ever work in Scotland’s social services …

… and one in ten social care workers are migrants making a vital contribution

The new immigration system being proposed by the UK Government would leave Scotland’s vital social care sector critically short of staff, according to a new report. It would also damage a number of other important sectors in Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s response to the Migration Advisory Committee’s call for evidence on the UK Shortage Occupation List (SOL) highlights that the social work and residential care sectors are heavily reliant on migrants, with almost 10% of roles filled by workers from outside the UK – the majority of whom would not qualify for a visa under the so-called ‘skilled worker’ route currently being proposed by the UK Government.

Ben Macpherson, Minister for Public Finance and Migration said the remarkable contribution of non-UK citizens working in health and social care, and other sectors, has been brought into especially sharp focus during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

He said social care roles must now be added to the SOL, in order to prevent a labour shortage in this crucial sector.

The response shows 29,300 non-UK nationals work in health and social care.

Mr Macpherson said: “Care professionals from all over the world have played a vital role in caring for our communities during the COVID-19 crisis.

“It is mind-boggling that the UK Government has introduced a ‘Health and Care visa’, intended to show the UK’s gratitude to frontline workers in these sectors, but that this initiative bizarrely continues to exclude and disregard the huge contribution of social care workers.

“I urge the UK Government to do the right thing and include care workers as eligible for the recently announced ‘Health and Care visa’, so that people who make and have made such an important contribution to our society, particularly recently, can benefit from reduced fees, a fast-track application service, and exemption from the Immigration Health Surcharge.

“This report, responding to the Migration Advisory Committee’s call for evidence on the UK Shortage Occupation List (SOL), shows how the UK Government’s ending of freedom of movement, and no replacement general route for what they have wrongly and offensively deemed ‘lower-skilled’ migrants, will be damaging to social care provision and key Scottish sectors of the Scottish economy.

“Adding social care roles to the SOL would allow employers to recruit international workers at a lower salary threshold of £20,480, instead of the proposed £25,600.

“The Scottish Government is clear – we greatly value the skills and contributions of all people who come and settle in Scotland. Inward migration enriches our society for the better and migrants make a net contribution to our economy, our public services and our public finances. Family migration also contributes positively to our demography, and the sustainability of rural and remote communities.”

Read SG response to Migration Advisory Committee on review of Shortage Occupation List 2020

A new report published by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) shows that more people than ever before work in Scotland’s social services. There are some 206,400 people in the workforce, which makes up approximately 7.8% of all Scottish employment or one in 13 jobs.
The figures are revealed in the Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2019 Workforce Data.

The report highlights the size and importance of the social service workforce, which has played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lorraine Gray, SSSC Chief Executive said: ‘The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have brought Scotland’s social service workers to the fore and this report shows the size and breadth of the sector.

‘They play a vital role in protecting and supporting some of society’s most vulnerable citizens and represent one in 13 of all employment in Scotland, so make a significant contribution to the economy too.

‘As well as being skilled and qualified roles, people must also bring the right values and we can see from the report that this is a committed workforce with just over three quarters in the same post as the previous year.

‘One of the largest increases this year was in the day care of children sub-sector, with an extra 2,360 workers, as recruitment continues towards the expansion of free early learning and childcare. Although COVID-19 has delayed this deadline we expect increased recruitment to day care of children’s service to continue.’

Key points from this year’s workforce data report

The size of the workforce has increased to 206,400, a rise of 0.8% since 2018. This is the highest level recorded since these reports began.
The social service workforce makes up approximately 7.8% of all Scottish employment.This increase has been driven mainly by increases to the day care of children sub-sector and with public provision.
The whole time equivalent (WTE) measure of the workforce is 155,330, an increase of 1.3% since 2018.
The stability index of the workforce is 76.8%. This means just over three-quarters of the workforce remained in the same post since last year.
The largest employer type differs between local authority areas, with services in Orkney, Shetland and Na h-Eileanan Siar (the three island authorities) provided mainly by the public sector. However, in most areas the private sector is the largest employer.
The three largest sub-sectors are housing support/care at home, care homes for adults and day care of children; together these account for almost 78% of the workforce.
The median age of the workforce is highest in the public sector (47) and lowest in the private sector (41).
Early years workers in the private sector have the lowest median age (28).
The percentage of men working in the sector is 15%, although it is around double or greater that proportion in criminal justice and residential children’s services.
The workforce is mainly employed on permanent contracts (82%).
The median figure for the typical weekly hours worked by staff is 32 and 51% of the workforce work full time (more than 30 hours per week).

The report combines administrative data collected by the Care Inspectorate with data collected by the SSSC directly from local authorities to form a comprehensive picture of the paid workforce employed in the social service sector in Scotland at the end of 2019.

The SSSC is an official statistics provider.

Read the Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2019 Workforce Data here.