CARE workers who look after vulnerable adults throughout the night will not be paid the new living wage that comes into effect this month, according to a letter obtained by local MSP Jackie Baillie.

A letter sent by the Scottish Government’s Director of Health and Social Care Integration confirms that sleepover hours are not required to be paid at the £8.25-an-hour rate.

The SNP 2016 manifesto promised to ‘extend payment of the living wage - ensuring that all social care workers receive the living wage by October 2016’.

Public sector union Unison has also warned that some providers have not yet committed to the living wage.

And Ms Baillie reckons the lack of action from the Scottish government is nothing short of a "sham."

Jackie said: "All care staff were supposed to receive a pay rise from the start of this month but many workers will be left waiting because the SNP has completely botched the implementation of the living wage.

"Labour warned the SNP Government from the start that a living wage for care workers had to be properly funded.

"Now the SNP has come clean at the eleventh hour and admitted that their so-called living wage need not apply for staff working overnight - often caring for the most vulnerable people with complex needs.

"A year ago the Tories were rightly criticised for announcing a so called living wage that only applied to over 25s - now the Nationalists have introduced a living wage for care workers that doesn't apply to all care workers. What a sham."

But the Scottish government this week hit back at the criticism, saying money will be pumped into helping those who care for others during the night.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We have taken action to protect and grow our social care services, including paying the Living Wage to adult care workers, by investing a further £250 million to health and social care partnerships.

"Through this, this Government is enabling, for the first time, all adult care workers in Scotland to be paid the real Living Wage from 1st October.

"We know this will benefit up to 40,000 people, and we are providing support to commissioners to make absolutely sure this happens.

"This approach has been agreed with our partners group, including UNISON.

"We recognise the complexities of implementation and in mid-September we wrote to commissioners to identify any local issues, so further support could be provided where needed.

"The issue of sleepovers was raised with the Scottish Government and COSLA by providers and we listened – that is why we agreed that sleep-in hours should be compliant with HMRC regulations for a transitional period to allow for more effective and constructive reform to take place towards all hours being paid at the Living Wage in the future.

"In offering this flexibility our central concern was to maintain continuity of care for vulnerable people."