This section includes details and information on food suppliers that may be useful to Scottish Care members during the Covid-19 pandemic.
One Cost Purchasing

FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN SUPPORT FOR CARE SECTOR (COVID-19 OUTBREAK)
Our campaign is to support Care Sector businesses, struggling to arrange food supply chain. This situation has fast become a ‘Nationwide plight’.
In the past 10 days, we have supported over 170 Care Homes in creating trading accounts and arranging food/non-food supply, given the issues with local supermarkets or their current suppliers.
Our purchasing services are completely FREE OF CHARGE! We have agreed a 25% DISCOUNT with a National Food Supplier, to support the Care Sector in these challenging and unprecedented times. Thank you to Simon Crowther at ‘Care Skilled’, who alerted us to this developing situation.
The One Cost Team are fully operational from home locations and manning the phones 7 DAYS A WEEK. We are busy but we will answer all your calls, or respond to messages/emails!
We will create trading accounts on your behalf; One less thing to stress about!
Email me at [email protected] or call me on 07827 318949 or 01942 290100 for support! www.onecost.co.uk
Bidfood

Bidfood are now offering a click and collect service to the public from our Edinburgh, Inverness and Oban depots. This is ideal for those people working hard in the care sector who are struggling to buy groceries from the supermarkets and who don’t have time to go to lots of different stores. This is available Monday to Friday for next day collection. We provide a huge range of groceries, including chilled and frozen goods as well as non-food such as chemicals and paper goods.

Mark Murphy

Mark Murphy are still trading and providing fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, bread and other foodservice items to customers across the country.
Most our current volume is to our wide range of Care Home customers but also to our retail and wholesales customer base. We are also proving low priced community boxes full of fruit & veg (some with bread & milk too) and that is a service we can offer to any organisation at the moment.
We’re operating from our depots in Edinburgh, Pitlochry, Aberdeen and through our Total Produce depot at Glasgow Fruitmarket too.
I’m aware that several fruit & veg companies are planning to mothball operations or seriously considering it until the worst effects of the pandemic pass. We have scaled back on our contract and independent catering work though our focus is on maintaining vital fresh food provision to our communities across the country and if we can help organisations like Scottish Care, councils or any public service provider fulfil this task in any way then please do not hesitate to contact us.
For more information please visit: www.markmurphytp.com
Covid-19 Members Webinar – 7 April
Our next Covid-19 members webinar will take place on Tuesday 31 March at 2:00 pm, our CEO, Dr Donald Macaskill and our National Director, Karen Hedge will be able to answer your questions on this subject matter.
Webinar link: https://zoom.us/j/948806146
Webinar ID: 948-806-146
New Covid-19 palliative care guidance – 3 April
Two new Covid-19 Guidelines have been added to the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines. The new guidelines are for symptom management for when a person is imminently dying from Covid-19 and for supporting end of life care when alternatives to medication normally given through syringe pumps are required. The standard end of life care guidelines should be used for all other situations.
Further guidance related to Covid-19 is also now available on the Guidelines website and includes:
• Anticipatory Care Planning guidance
• Communications guide
• Practical resources to help professionals giving medicines
• Signposts to support members of the public through serious illness death and loss
• Support for professionals themselves
Revised PPE guidance now available – 2 April
A revised PPE guidance has been issued jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care, Health Protection Scotland (HPS), Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England.
This guidance outlines what PPE frontline health and social care workers should be wearing in different settings and scenarios. Please see below for letter issued to Scottish Care with further information on this guidance.
CNO CMO letter PPE guidance COVID-19 - 2 April 2020Health Protection Scotland has also published posters for use by social, community and residential settings.
Disclosure Scotland newsletter update
Please see below for latest Disclosure Scotland newsletter update.
Coronavirus update
We are prioritising checks for the workers Scotland needs at this time. Applications will only be processed for roles in the following sectors:
• healthcare
• pharmaceutical
• childcare
• social work
• social care
• prisons and justice
ID checks
We’ve had questions from employers about their identity checking processes, which they are reviewing during coronavirus.
Employers who countersign disclosures must be content with the identity of people applying for their positions. Our Code of Practice for Employers recommends sight of original documentation where possible.
It can be acceptable for employers to establish identity through other means. The key point is that the employer themselves is content with the identity of the person.
Helpline closed
We have temporarily closed our helpline. For help and support, you should now email us.
New application process
We have made a temporary change to our application process. We are no longer accepting paper applications.
Please visit our website for details of the new process. If you are submitting urgent applications related to coronavirus in the upcoming weeks, please email us.
Fees waivered
We are suspending all fees for key workers and volunteers who are being drafted to help Scotland fight against coronavirus.
This is a temporary measure which will be in place for six weeks, before being reviewed and extended further, if needed.
Disclosure (Scotland) Bill
 The Bill, which proposes changes to the disclosure system, completed Stage 2 in the Scottish Parliament on 11 March.You can view the Bill and track its progress on the Parliament website
Criminal record checks for coronavirus (Covid-19) response workers
Disclosure Scotland will prioritise checks for the workers Scotland needs to deal with the coronavirus, they will prioritise roles in the sectors:
- Healthcare
- Phamaceutical
- Childcare
- Social work
- Social care
- Prisons and justice
Urgent applications for priority roles
Ministers have suspended fees for urgent disclosures. You do not have to pay for forms emailed before midnight on 11 May 2020.Â
Use these forms to apply for urgent disclosures in the priority sectors:
- basic, standard and enhanced disclosure
- existing members of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme
- to join the PVG Scheme
- coronavirus cover sheet you must fill out and send with the forms
Organisations must have their countersignatory send applications. You cannot apply by email on behalf of a countersignatory.
They are not taking any paper applications. Email completed forms with the cover sheet to [email protected].
You can follow this website for more updates: https://www.mygov.scot/coronavirus-disclosure/
Updated Guidance from Health Protection Scotland – 2 April
The following guidance on COVID-19: Information and Guidance for Social or Community Care & Residential Settings was updated on the 2nd April 2020 by Health Protection Scotland. it is now Version 1.6.
This now includes updated information and guidance for PPE. This guidance is to support those workingin social or community care and residential (SCCR) settings to give advice to their staff and users of their services about Covid-19.
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