Important information for Scotland

NHS Covid-19 hub

Scottish Government Covid-19 hub

All of Scotland is at level 0.

You hould continue to work from home where possible.

If you are displaying symptoms of coronavirus and need to apply for a test, please visit the Scottish Government guidance and book a test online.

The national Covid-19 helpline puts people in contact with their local authority. You can call 0800 111 4000 for free. It is open Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:00.

Financial support:

• You can contact Money Talk Team to get help knowing what benefits you might be entitled to and other advice.
• You can apply for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance. The Scottish Welfare Fund is also available to people in crisis and in need of financial support.
• If you are struggling to pay your gas or electricity bills, Ofgem can offer you advice.

Physical and mental wellbeing:

• You can visit Clear Your Head for practical advice to deal with feelings of uncertainty.
• You can find help online from the Scottish Association of Mental Health.
• You can also talk to someone over the phone with Samaritans (116 123, available 24/7) or Red Cross (0808 196 3651, available everyday 10am – 6pm).
• The Scottish Government has compiled resources to support mental health and wellbeing which can be accessed here.

Other support:

• People who were on the shielding list can access information here here.
• Information on childcare can be found on the ParentClub website, which can be accessed here.

Shielding was a measure to protect people who are clinically at high risk of severe illness from coronavirus. Shielding was paused on 1 August 2020.

At Level 0, people at the highest risk if they catch Covid are to follow the same advice as the rest of the population.

The Scottish Government have produced advice on keeping safe which can be viewed here.

All children aged 12-15 in the UK will shortly be offered the Covid-19 vaccine.

All adults aged 18 and over on (and including) 31 October 2021 are now invited for vaccination.

If you need help with transport to your vaccination or would like to request a home vaccination, please phone the Scottish Covid Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013 (8am – 8pm).

The gap between Covid-19 vaccinations are being brought forward from 12 weeks to eight weeks across Scotland. You can rearrange your appointment here.

You can find more information about the Covid-19 vaccine here.

Young people and children

People over 16 who are at the highest risk and those who live with them can now be vaccinated at a drop-in clinic. You do not need an appointment and can go at a time that suits you. You can find your nearest drop-in clinic on the NHS inform website.

The only other group that can be considered are children aged 12 years and over with severe neurodisabilities and recurrent respiratory tract infections who require residential care. These vaccinations would be considered unlicensed use, paediatricians and GPs should discuss the benefits, risks and safety data with children, young people and their parents/guardians.

You can find more information about the Covid-19 vaccination programme for children and young people here.

If you cannot work from home, your employer may be able to furlough you through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. If you are self-employed, you can get support from the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

Information and guides for returning to work, for both employees and employers, can be found at Healthy Working Lives, a website from Public Health Scotland.

The Scottish Government has developed risk assessment guidance and tools to support employees and employers to have constructive conversations to identify individual risks and take appropriate action to make the workplace safer. Guidance on the assessment tools can be found here.

Mencap have pulled together resources and advice for carers who may be affected by Covid-19.

Support bubbles

A support bubble is a support network that links two households. You can form a support bubble with a household if:

• You live by yourself
• You’re a single adult living with one or more children under the age of 18

You should not form a support bubble with a household that is part of another support bubble.

PPE

Scottish Government have produced guidance for accessing PPE.

If you are an unpaid/family carer and think you require PPE due to your caring role, and the routes you normally use to access it are unavailable, you should contact your local carers centre and they will advise you on how to access supplies locally.

You can find a list of local carers centres and young carer services on the Care Information Scotland website. If your local carers’ centre is unavailable, you can call the Social Care PPE Support Centre on 0300 303 3020 and they can provide you with information.

The SCVO provides a hub of information for charities concerned by the Covid-19 pandemic, including information on emergency funding and human resources considerations.