PPE hubs aiming to ensure social care staff, personal assistants and unpaid carers have uninterrupted access to protective kit will continue to operate until spring next year.

The local hubs were set up to help address shortages during the first wave of the covid pandemic, where providers and carers could not obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) through their normal supply channels.

The support was due to end last month but this will now be continued to March 2021 to ensure “stability and access to PPE” in the social care centre over winter.

A central PPE support centre will also continue to operate for emergency situations when the normal supply routes or the hubs cannot help.

According to the PPE action plan published by the Scottish government, four months’ supply of each of the key PPE items has been built up to cope with the risks associated with Brexit as well as a renewed surge in covid-19 cases.

It says the significant increase in stocks, along with planning and modelling to ensure early warning of shortages and other measures such as increasing PPE production in Scotland, means the position now is “very different” to when the pandemic emerged.

However the plan highlights other issues which need to be addressed including making sure that PPE is suitable for everyone, with concerns raised over ill-fitting and uncomfortable kit, particularly by women and black and minority ethnic individuals.

Work is also ongoing with Scottish companies to develop transparent masks to help address communication difficulties that PPE can bring, for example when caring for people with hearing difficulties.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said there had been significant improvements in supply of PPE and plans were in place to cover expected demand over the winter.

She added: “My sincerest hope is that the measures we are taking – joined hopefully in due course by a vaccine – will mean we won’t have such significant requirements for PPE in the longer term.

“However, for as long as we need it this plan will be updated and refreshed where necessary.”

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