Praisefor health workers
The inspirational commitment of health and social care staff as they continue to weather “relentless” pressure has been praised by NHS bosses.
Health and social care director for South Lanarkshire, Soumen Sengupta, has also appealed for continued public support and patience as staff work around the clock in response to the Omicron variant.
Writing in a special edition online Christmas Q&A, Mr Sengupta called pressures created by the pandemic “relentless”.
He continued: “What most, what all, staff really need is some certainty, some time to catch their breath – but unfortunately that is not in anyone’s gift for now.
“At the same time, I can’t help but be inspired and motivated by the compassion, the commitment and the team spirit that colleagues bring to their work each and every day.”
Since coming into post in August, Mr Sengupta has personally visited many health and social care sites, services and partners across South Lanarkshire.
He said: “From our clinics to our cottage hospitals, our day care to our care homes, our treatment rooms to our vaccination centres, and our children’s houses to our family centres – what I have been impressed with on my on-site visits is the kindness of colleagues and pride in what their teams do.
“And from the conversations I have enjoyed with patients, service users and carers, it is clear that kindness and commitment makes a big difference to the quality of their experiences too.”
Mr Sengupta also thanked the people of Lanarkshire for their support and asked for continued kindness and understanding.
He said: “Your safety and wellbeing continues to be central to what we do and the decisions we are making - and everyone being Covid-safe and Covid-sensible is critical to our doing that.
“I really appreciate your patience as we prioritise the most vulnerable in our communities.”