Unpaid carers need “clear accessible” advice on what will happen if they are unable to look after others during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland has also called for care of the most vulnerable to be prioritised in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with “fair and transparent” contingency planning.

The organisation says it is concerned with reports from other countries hit by the virus that people with long-term conditions and older people are not being prioritised as system struggle to cope.

It fears the narrative of “most people will be okay” has exposed discriminatory attitudes related to these groups, who are most at risk of the virus.

The Alliance has called for statutory bodies in Scotland to clarify how a “rights-based, person-centred” approach” will be taken if the health and social system comes under “unprecedented pressure”.

A statement says many unpaid carers are anxious that they do not have the “resources or means necessary” to plan for the situation where they are affected by the virus and unable to look after others.

It added: “There is an urgent need for clear, accessible advice to be made publicly available on what to do in the event of a carer (paid or unpaid) being unable to provide care.”

The Alliance emphasised “no-one is to blame if you get sick”, adding: “Everyone, including health and care professionals, should be alert to the need to take simple steps to ensure disabled people and people with long term conditions are not excluded from everyday life, for example writing things when using a face mask for the benefit of people who lipread.”

In the longer term, it called for the forthcoming respiratory care action plan for Scotland to take account of a potential increase in a rise in lung conditions as a result of coronavirus which could present a “serious challenge to health and social care services in the coming years.”