Thank you for supporting health care staff in South Lanarkshire

Health and social care leaders revealed they have received a flurry of kind and well-wishing correspondence from local residents as they renew appeals for ongoing support.

Sustained pressures and demand on the health and social care system have been well-documented. Services, including Lanarkshire’s three acute hospitals and general practices, continue to work through unparalleled demand due to the continued impact of Covid 19, influenza and the cost of living crisis.

Ross McGuffie, chief officer of North Lanarkshire health and social care, said: “Our collaboration with people in communities and unpaid carers is as crucial as it’s ever been.

"It’s been well-documented that pressure is particularly pronounced on hospitals across the nation. Lanarkshire is no different and the situation faced is exceptionally difficult. We have been appealing, in effect, for families and carers – particularly of those coming out of hospital – to be as flexible, responsive and supportive as possible at this time.

“In return, we have received great understanding and support.

“We completely understand that many of the challenges facing our services are also the cause of significant frustration and anxiety amongst the public.

“We are seeing many incidences of people recognising the complexities of the situation and taking the time to express heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of what our staff are doing to manage the challenges.

“We are grateful for people’s thoughtfulness and indeed patience and forbearance as we maintain and direct vital capacity to support those most in need."

Despite challenges on the hospital system, patients will only go home when it is safe to do so. This means hospital teams have assessed them as being medically stable.

Ongoing support will depend on needs of the individual and hospital teams will assess and discuss with patents and their families what this will look like and arrange the services accordingly.

To reduce ongoing strain on resources, both North and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships are in dialogue with service users and families to identify specific care requirements.

Soumen Sengupta, chief officer of South Lanarkshire health and social care, added: “Our leaders, staff and teams continue to rise to every challenge, which is testament to their resilience, fortitude and commitment.

“People in our communities should be absolutely assured that our committed staff and partners are doing their utmost to keep people safe and to deliver the best care possible in unprecedented circumstances.

"I fully recognise this can be can be an anxious and indeed frustrating time for people. Similarly, there’s also not a day that passes when I don’t receive feedback about a member of staff or how a service has changed someone’s life for the better.

“We are grateful for the public’s understanding – and appreciative of this kindness – at what continues to be an exceptionally testing period.”