Marianne Hayward, interim chief officer of South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, gives Q&A update

Marianne Hayward is the interim chief officer of South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership.

She took up the reins from Val de Souza, who retired in May 2021, and is leading the partnership until Soumen Sengupta takes up post on 9 August.

As health and social care partners deal with demand that is associated with winter, Marianne took a few minutes out for a quick Q&A update.

Hi Marianne, what’s the latest position?

It’s the middle of summer but we’re experiencing a perfect storm; the pressures are the result of three main factors. These are increased Covid-19 cases, trying to maintain and recover services – including planned operations – and a shortage of staff due to annual leave or those having to self-isolate as a result of contacts outside of work. 

That pressure is being felt across primary care and the community. GP practices, for example, are busier than ever, reporting a 30 to 50 per cent increase in calls compared with pre-pandemic levels.

In terms of our acute hospitals, we are continuing to experience unprecedented levels of pressure across the three sites in Lanarkshire. 

You describe it as a perfect storm – as interim chief officer how are you weathering it? 

This may sound a cliché – but I’m not all that concerned because it’s very true. It’s not about me – it’s all about team work. 

From my peers in South Lanarkshire’s senior management team, the extended team – and as health and social care partners – we’re working cheek and jowl at the moment (virtually of course!)

In times like these, partnership comes into play and the relationships we’ve cultivated over the years are really important.  Albeit through the medium of Teams, we continue to be closely linked with our colleagues in the third and independent sector, unpaid carers and communities.

Sounds like there’s a massive effort despite ongoing pressures?

There is. I see that effort on an hour-by-hour, day-by-day basis and what our staff and partners are throwing at this after 14 months never ceases to amaze me.

But I’m also seeing the toll that is taking. Our staff and partners have moved mountains since last March. Many staff are feeling very strained and very tired. I totally get that.

I would stress that there are supports for staff in place – and it’s important these are used. I’ve listed these at the foot of this Q&A.

What’s also vitally important is that we continue to be there for each other, as a workforce – as work mates. The power of every day conversations, exchanges, humour, jokes, quiet rants especially with those in similar positions who just get it . . . that cannot be underestimated.

As we continue through this storm, please draw strength and look out for one another.

How do you keep yourself going when times get tough? 

As I’ve said before, it’s all about being part of a team. It’s a genuine privilege and those connections with my colleagues are steeling me through demanding times. Also, I’ve long made a point of getting up at the crack of dawn for a run every morning and walk with family late in the evening. It may not sound very relaxing but it’s a brilliant way to start and end the day and – and sets you on a positive trajectory!

You mentioned communities as main partners – what’s been your message to them?

Absolutely, we’ve seen heroics in our communities over the last year and half too. Like my last answer there’s many examples of people stepping up and looking out for each other.

We know there’s excellent work that’s always ongoing. Examples abound in our Building and Celebrating Communities programme and we look forward to publicising more of these in the near future. Just now, we’re highlighting that members of the public need to be really aware of what we’re truly up against – and work with us. 

In what way are you encouraging the public to work with health and social care?

So, for example, we are in the midst of a recruitment drive for an intake of physiotherapists – to help offset growing pressures on health and social care.

Part of the pressure on GP and primary care services – as well as emergency departments – is patients presenting with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions which affects the joints, bones and muscles, and also include rarer auto-immune diseases and back pain.

Our health services are open and we are here if needed – that’s why we’re taking these steps to bolster our workforce. We have stressed, however, we also need people in Lanarkshire to be aware of these ongoing challenges, continue to work with us and use sources of self-management and self-referral routes available.

The recruitment drive has launched in tandem with a new physiotherapy MSK website which hosts comprehensive information on what physiotherapy can offer as well as useful advice and exercises.

We are also aware lots of families/ carers have worked tirelessly to care for their loved one throughout the pandemic. Care at home services have experienced a huge increase in demand, particularly in relation to complex needs. We would plead to communities, families to continue to support their loved one while we move through this difficult period of the pandemic 

Overall, we’re being really clear about messages like these and continue to push them on all our channels really prominently and on a daily basis. 

Thanks Marianne. Do you have any further reflections?

Just a massive thanks to each and every one of our staff and partners for everything they have done and continue to do. Times are really tough and I see and get that, on a human level.

I also consider it a sincere privilege to be part of this wider partnership effort.

And remember, if you take anything away from this, please look out and be there for another.

Support for you

While you work to support other people during this time, we know that you still have to deal with everyday challenges in your personal and home life. Support is available at the PRoMIS National Wellbeing Hub.

There are a number of websites, listed below, with information on looking after your mental health. Please take a look at these – and the up-to-date information sent out in regular staff briefings. They are there to help you too. A telephone line for stress support has also been opened by Salus. Telephone 0808 281 9288. Lines are open from 9am-7pm, Monday to Sunday.

• To find out more about stress, visit Elament;
• See also Mind.org for information;
• Tips on practical ways to relieve stress can be found here.
• Sites such as nhsinform.scot and www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk have lots of self-help tips about managing anxiety and low mood.

Scottish Social Services Council has produced workforce support and wellbeing during the Covid-19 outbreak. See: https://learn.sssc.uk.com/wellbeing/#