THE Scottish Government "have cloth ears" when it comes to Fife social care concerns, according to Willie Rennie.

The former Dunfermline MP's comments come after the group who run the service have made their first ever appeal for help.

Nicky Connor, director of the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, explained in a newsletter to NHS Fife staff that she urgently needed 35 extra bodies to deliver home visits, staff care homes, and provide support for people with learning disabilities.

She added: "Fife, like the rest of Scotland, is seeing an unprecedented demand on health and social care services and we are being tested like never before across the whole health and social care system, and this is made more challenging by the impact of COVID.

"We are working extremely hard to maintain services, however, we now need additional help for a limited period to enable us to deliver services to those most in need and to support the flow of people from hospital to their home or homely setting.

"Whilst we get through this busy period, we are seeking a number of people to support social care and we are working closely with our partners and colleagues from the third sector along with progressing recruitment in the care home and care at home service."

Willie Rennie, now North East Fife MSP, is concerned over access to social care in the Kingdom.

He said: “Everyone working in social care is doing incredibly important work and they must be supported.

"The appeal is urgent and shows the scale of the crisis facing social care in Fife.

"Social care staff have been put in an impossible situation.

"I am very concerned that they are being stretched to breaking point and that vulnerable people are missing out on essential care.

"I have been calling on the Scottish Government to act urgently but they have cloth ears when it comes to this crisis.

"We need to have proper pay and conditions for carers to recruit and retain staff. That means paying them enough for the valuable service they provide in our communities."

Kevin Stewart, minister for mental wellbeing and social care, explained that while care workers had been "critical" in fighting COVID-19, the cost of training was a large factor holding them back in turning things around.

Basic PVG checks alone cost £59 and registration with the Scottish Social Services Council costs between £25 and £80 depending on the role.

A scheme has been put in place by the Scottish Government to cover these fees for individuals going into the profession.

The estimated cost of this until the end of March is £465,000.

Mr Stewart said: "Care workers have been absolutely critical to our pandemic response, giving vulnerable people the care they need and avoiding further pressure falling on the NHS.

"We are actively engaging and working with partners to take measures that help address the staffing issues faced by the sector at this current time due to high vacancy levels and increased demand.

"This includes the £300 million of new winter investment for health and care announced in October, to maximise the capacity of the NHS and social care system this winter, with local areas able to distribute this in ways that support specific local pressures.

"We also recently announced that new staff joining the social care workforce will have the cost of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) registration paid to help encourage more staff into the profession and address staffing pressures.

"We will continue to work closely with our partners to identify all possible ways we can assist the social care sector to aid recruitment and retention within the workforce at this critical time."