Meeting Minutes – 30th June 2026

Your continued support is greatly appreciated!

 

---

Gathering Interest

• When asked what they believe would draw more people to join our meetings, members noted that coming to meetings can be intimidating.
• Members discussed that the meeting should include both a PANS agenda and a space for PAs to able to come to share experiences or express any concerns about their role. Meetings may be allocated more time to allow for this.
• More feedback included that meetings should be more frequent.
• It was collectively agreed that PANS will move away from ‘PA Advisory Board’ and will now be referred to as ‘PA Voices Forum’ as this better represents the group.

---

Training

• Members collectively discussed ongoing issues around Training. More training is becoming available, however members noted how this comes at a cost and/or must be done in their own time.
  PAs should be paid to attend and be able to take the training whilst on the job.
• Members spoke about the vast imbalance in Training for PAs compared to the likes of Support Workers, who receive the appropriate training and can go to a supervisor for support, whereas this is not available for PAs.
• PAs feel compromised where they have not been appropriately trained – the PA is expected to uphold a certain code of practice when they have little to no knowledge. PAs discussed how this can also compromise the employer, and their insurance.

---

PA Programme Board

• Members noted the lack of PA voice included within the Personal Assistants Programme Board
• Members raised concerns regarding the SDS Surveys, concluding that many of the questions asked are not relevant to PAs. The questions were also described as overly closed, with the survey appearing to prioritise year-by-year comparisons over ensuring the right questions are being asked.
• It was noted that questions previously submitted by PANS for inclusion in the survey, had not been incorporated. Members also expressed concern that the survey appears to be developed by individuals who have insufficient understanding of the role or the audience it is intended to reflect.
• PANS to request that the PANS Update section in the PAPB be reinstated as this has been absent from the meeting schedule for some time.

---

PA Uplift

• Members discussed the recently assigned pay lift.
• Concerns included some Local Authority’s may not be operating to the Uplift, and PAs working on £13.45 or above may not have yet received their increase in wage.
• PANS to raise this with Scottish Gov contacts

---

If you have any comments to add about the discussions had in the meeting, please email Chloe on pans@wea.ac.uk