Staff told the herald on Sunday how the gruelling working patterns have taken their toll.

In order to protect them, their names and other identifying features have been changed.

Jane is a new mum, who returned to full time work when her child was less than a year old.

She said: "It was absolutely awful going back to work, and I just couldn't manage. I had to get up at 5.30, get my child up and take her to a friend or relative at around 6am, then head to start my shift at 7.30

"I was then working, picking my baby back up in between the shift, so I could spend some time with them, and then back out again until 10 o'clock at night. I wasn't getting to see my partner, who works night shift, or my child really. It was completely unmanageable.

"I've now had to reduce my hours completely, so I still work 7 days on and 7 days off, but I do less than 30 hours a week now. I asked if they could change my shifts to Monday to Friday, but they said no that wasn't possible, and that I'd just have to reduce my hours.

"I only earn about £900 a month now, and it's not enough to live on really. I want to work full time, but they've made it impossible with a new baby."

Mary has been a home carer for more than 15 years, and said the service is now "at its worst".

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She said: "Many of us are just absolutely exhausted all the time, and can't cope. People are going off sick all the time, which puts more pressure on everyone else. There is absolutely no family life doing these shifts, and I know some colleagues who have ended up splitting up with their partners as they just never see them any more.

"Mistakes are being made, and it's dangerous too when it comes to giving people their medication. I will be honest, there have been times when I can't even remember if I've given someone their tablets or not, because I've just been so exhausted by the time the end of the seven days come. I'm not the only one who feels like that, and it's not fair on the clients either. They don't deserve that. I really feel this is now at the worst its been.

"Don't get me wrong, having a week off every two weeks i good, but you take about 4 days to even recover from the previous week. It's not as if you're just working seven days in a row, of 10 hours straight. It's the fact you're maybe doing a 16 or 17 hour day - getting up at 6 or 7, getting home at 10.30- or 11pm. Yes there's break in between but what can you really do in that time? I am completely scunnered. When it started in 2015 I thought after six months that I would get used to it, but that has never happened and I feel my health is getting worse."

Pauline has been employed as a home carer in Glasgow for almost 20 years, and said she has developed problems with her eating habits since starting the 70 hours a week work.

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She said: "I've lost two stone since this started, and I can't eat properly. I now have a serious problem with eating. It all started because when we're out working, we just eat on the move.

"There are no cooking facilities we can use when we're walking around schemes from one client to the next,and when there's a half an hour break, it doesn't give much time to actually go anywhere. Often there are no cafes nearby or if its late at night there's nowhere open, so I basically got used to not eating.

"Getting home at 10 at night, you just don't feel like making a big meal or anything. This just continued on my weeks off too, because I was so used to the habit of not eating, or eating small meals and snacks, that I couldn't' face proper dinners or lunches any more. I have noticed a big impact on my mental health as well because of it."