NHS Lanarkshire is moving to protect essential services as pressure on health and social care services hits historic levels.
Our services across the whole system are experiencing more pressure that at any other point.
Under the circumstances the only way we can preserve our never services – the ones we would never wish to stop – is by making difficult decisions on prioritising the use of staff across health and social care.
A new group was set up as part of NHS Lanarkshire’s strategic command structure to help identify solutions where a service does not have sufficient staff to continue without additional support.
This group has now made its recommendations, which include the redeployment of staff to other areas, in line with staff and manager redeployment guidance.
Where possible, departments across the organisation have highlighted a small number of staff who could be redeployed to support key services, while still enabling the department to continue to provide their never services.
Conversations have now taken place with staff across the organisation, who have volunteered to be redeployed into key areas to help relieve the pressure across the organisation.
These areas are: ward 11 at University Hospital Monklands, Hospital at Home and Home First.
By redeploying staff to these areas, it is hoped that we will be able to increase flow throughout the hospitals by facilitating the safe discharge of patients to their home.
We would like to thank staff for their flexibility during these difficult times.
We realise many of our patients and staff are suffering the effects of these pressures on a daily basis.
We understand the pressure of temporarily moving to an unfamiliar role and setting. We would like to take the opportunity to remind you of the health and wellbeing support that is available to all health and social care staff across Lanarkshire.
Information on the support that is available to you can be found on the ‘Your Health Matters’ web hub at https://www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/your-health-matters/
Our aim is return services to normal as soon as is possible. In the meantime, we are also working hard to address staffing shortfalls through recruitment and the staff bank.
The situation will continue to be monitored daily to ensure the actions we are taking allow us to preserve our never services during this period of pressure and recover at the earliest opportunity.
Thank you for your continuing professionalism and dedication during these challenging times.
Linda Findlay,
Medical Director, South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership,
Chair of Silver Clinical Command Group
Kay Sandilands,
Director of Human Resources, NHS Lanarkshire
Chair of Silver Workforce Command Group
