The skill and stoic effort of Care at Home staff across Lanarkshire has been praised – as these services continue to weather significant pressures.

Soumen Sengupta, Director of Health and Social Care for South Lanarkshire, said: “Local authority-employed staff and our commissioned partners make a magnificent contribution to the lives of the individuals they care for in both South and North Lanarkshire.

“On behalf of everyone in our wider partnerships, I’d like to offer a note of heartfelt thanks for their dedication, compassion and professionalism."

Care at Home provides essential support to enable people to live as independently as possible in their own homes. This often involves helping a person to wash, dress or get ready for bed. Some home care workers are also trained to give more personal assistance such as help with medication.

Mr Sengupta added: “Care at Home services have been experiencing unprecedented challenges due to the ongoing pandemic and a significant increase in the number of people requiring support for complex care needs.

"The contribution and commitment of all our staff delivering these services and supports continues to be exceptional.”

As urgent care is prioritised for the most vulnerable service users, leaders from NHS Lanarkshire, the respective North and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships and Councils are working together to support the workforce – including ongoing recruitment campaigns that recognise the important and fulfilling work involved.

Health and care bosses are also respectfully reminding members of the public to show consideration and kindness to the busy frontline teams.

Margaret Thomson, Head of Health, Health and Social Care North Lanarkshire, stated: “There’s no easy fix to challenges caused by the demand but we are working hard, and in partnership across Lanarkshire, to address them.

“We’d ask people to be mindful that we are prioritising our most vulnerable service users and we’d appeal for continued forbearance and patience."

Ms Thomson added: “Our care at home services – and indeed all our health and care staff across Lanarkshire – continue to work extremely hard to ensure that services users and patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible in the most challenging of circumstances. We ask that people please be kind to our staff and colleagues who are committed to caring, no matter the circumstances.”