Health secretary Shona Robison is to press councils to reach a deal with providers of care at home services, in a bid to salvage the Scottish Government’s flagship living wage policy for care workers.

A quarter of local authorities are yet to agree rates with charities and private firms to provide housing support and care at home, with days to go before the Government pledge that all care workers should receive at least £8.25 an hour is due to be implemented.

All frontline care staff are supposed to be paid the Scottish living wage for care workers from this Saturday, but many employers say they will be unable to do so because of unrealistic rates on offer from some councils.

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Ms Robison was questioned about the crisis at Holyrood’s Health and Sport committee amid warnings that at least 15 care at home companies were preparing to cease to trade, threatening thousands of jobs with agreements not reached in 12 local authority areas.

But after a showdown with the minister, Donald MacAskill, chief executive of umbrella group Scottish Care was more optimistic that deals might be reached. “There has been significant movement, and there is agreement that further attention is needed,” he said.

Now it is understood that only eight council areas are still causing concern, with no deal offered at all in four, while the remaining four are offering rates for care at home that are said to be unviable by the charities and firms being asked to provide services.

Mr MacAskill said it was reassuring that the problem was now being taken seriously and said Scottish Care were working with local and national bodies to get a deal over the line.

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Meanwhile the Scottish Government was still bracing itself for a failure to deliver the living wage to all care workers across Scotland by the deadline. An insider said: “October the 1st is the date we are working towards, for all of them to be paid. It may be that will not be the case in some areas, but that it can be backdated.”