Hospitality and retail staff who have been forced out of work by the coronavirus outbreak are being recruited as emergency support at care homes across Scotland.
Care sector bosses have issued a plea for hotel and shop workers facing unpaid leave, reduced hours and redundancy.
Rennaissance Care, which runs 14 facilities for elderly residents including Beech Manor in Blairgowrie, and the Perth-based Balhousie Care Group said they urgently needed to fill posts created by staff going into self-isolation.
Chairman at Rennaissance Robert Kilgour said: “We’re making an appeal for staff who have found themselves without a job, particularly within hospitality and leisure sectors, and students who are no longer able to study, to get in touch about carer positions in our homes.”
He said: “At a time of unbelievable uncertainty and crisis, it’s vital that we’re able to build a workforce ready to care for our vulnerable residents.
“The health and well-being of our residents is our priority and our staff are critically important to us.
“As many find themselves without work, we have roles across Scotland where hospitality and leisure workers can reapply their experience and strong work ethics to a position that is essential to some of the most vulnerable in our society.”
The Balhousie Care Group, which looks after 900 elderly residents at its 26 homes, said it is willing to train new staff.
CEO Jill Kerr said: “There are vacancies across our homes for care staff, kitchen staff and support workers in permanent, temporary and flexible positions.
“We also want to build up our bank staff so that we have a pool of people to draw on these next crucial few months.”
Ms Kerr added: “The care sector was already facing a recruitment crisis and the coronavirus outbreak has put extra pressure on care providers.
“We have a situation now where colleagues are having to self-isolate or they can’t come into work because of schools being closed.”
She said: “We are reaching out to industry bodies in the hospitality and leisure sectors, and we’re keen to talk directly to workers who have been put on leave or lost their jobs because of the virus.”
Meanwhile, Graham’s Family Dairy, based at Bridge of Allan, has issued a similar call to arms.
The company said it needs temporary staff to work alongside distribution teams “to ensure supply of goods to supermarkets remain.”
A spokesman said: “The job may suit individuals that have been impacted by the current coronavirus and are unable to do their normal job.”
Graham’s said it was keen to take on workers at its chilled depots in Bridge of Allan, Port Dundas, Cowdenbeath, Inverkeithing, Kintore, Brechin and Nairm.
