LOW-PAID workers are going without the financial support they need to self-isolate, unions have warned.

The TUC said that the lack of decent sick pay was a “gaping hole” in the government’s approach to public health.

A study by the union confederation suggests that demand for a scheme to help workers self-isolate outstrips allocated funding.

The funding shortfall is putting pressure on local authorities to fill the gap themselves, reject applications from low-paid workers who need financial support to self-isolate or, in some cases, close schemes altogether, said the report.

The self-isolation payment scheme introduced by the government in September offers a one-off £500 lump sum to people who need to self-isolate because of coronavirus but cannot work from home.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The current system of patchy self-isolation payments and paltry sick pay just isn’t working.

“The government could fix the problem tomorrow by offering decent sick pay to those required to self-isolate.”

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: “The government needs to ensure its £500 self-isolation payment support scheme is available to those in need of financial support.

“In some areas, demand on councils for additional support has outweighed funding available.”