Harvey Littlejohn has a life story as impressive as a Rolls-Royce engine and is still going strong at 99 years old, proving that the long and winding road of life can be as smooth as it is rewarding with the right care and attitude.

The combination of a range of health and care services have helped enable Harvey to live at home and be an active member of the community right up until today – including the East Kilbride and Rutherglen Home Assessment Team (HAT). Both the East Kilbride and Rutherglen Home Assessment Team and the Clydesdale and Hamilton Home Assessment Team have recently received glowing inspection reports from the Care Inspectorate.

Born in Govan on 6 November 1925 before moving to East Kilbride, Harvey has lived a life full of milestones: marrying his beloved wife Chris in 1952, raising two sons, David and Stewart, and building a 25-year career with Rolls-Royce in East Kilbride – truly the "Rolls-Royce of careers”.

Retiring in 1990, Harvey didn’t slow down. He became the chairman of an Education in Retirement (EiR) group who meet at Westwood Parish Church. He remarked: “I’ve been chairman the past 37 years – they say I have to keep doing it until I get it right!”.

Harvey is also a founding member of the Kilbride Burns Club, staying active and involved in his community for decades. But life hasn’t always been without its challenges.

Harvey has had his share of health battles, including a heart attack in 2005 and recurring chest infections. He has received excellent care throughout, initially at University Hospital Hairmyres followed by the East Kilbride and Rutherglen Home Assessment Team, the Blantyre LIFE facility and then the South Lanarkshire Care at Home Service that are supporting him now.

Harvey reflected: "To be honest, I thought I might never get back home, but I’ve been well looked after and the care I’ve received throughout has been great. The staff looking after me at home have been very good. They come in twice a day and keep on reminding me to use my walking stick! ‘Where’s your stick, Harvey?’. We have a good laugh and a bit of fun.

"I’ve had a happy and good life. I’m still going strong and trying to enjoy myself. Since I’ve been back home I’ve been doing ok. I had another chest infection a few weeks ago but I’m feeling better.”

Harvey’s advice for a long and happy life? He said: “I’m still active. I go to church on a Sunday and I have my Burns club and other activities. I’ve never smoked in my life, I don’t drink and my diet is reasonably healthy – I eat a lot of fruit and have porridge or muesli for breakfast.”

Whether he’s attending church on Sundays or chairing EiR meetings, Harvey embodies resilience, humour, and the importance of community. As he begins his 100th year, Harvey proves that life’s road is best travelled with a bit of determination, a lot of gratitude, and maybe just a touch of Rolls-Royce magic.

Professor Soumen Sengupta, Chief Officer of South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership, recently visited Harvey along with staff members from the Home Assessment Team.

Professor Sengupta said: “It’s been wonderful to hear all about Harvey’s remarkable life and his journey is a testament to both the outstanding care provided by local services and his own steadfast spirit.

“Our Home Assessment Teams play a key role in ensuring that we are able to support as many people as we can to live as independently as they can at home and within their communities – and in doing so, make an important contribution to the wider range of actions being undertaken to improve unscheduled care and tackle delayed discharges.

“Harvey’s experience also highlights the daily difference that staff right across our health and social care teams make to the lived experience of individuals and families.

“My thanks to our service users, their families and the community at large for their support in our introducing such innovative services and the new types of approaches to support that our dedicated staff are now delivering.”

The Care Inspectorate recently graded the HSCP’s East Kilbride and Rutherglen HAT ‘very good’ across three categories and ‘good’ across the other, including well-being support, team ethos, care planning and leadership. Similar grades were also achieved by the HAT service that covers the Clydesdale and Hamilton areas.

Scott McNeill, Service Manager for Care at Home Services, added: "We are absolutely delighted with the inspection results. The feedback reflects our team’s dedication to compassionate, person-centred care that our staff bring to their roles every single day.

“Staff were praised for their kindness, sensitivity, and ability to adapt to changing needs. To know that service users and their families feel supported and cared for in such a positive way is incredibly rewarding.”

Lesley McDonald, Chair of the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB), added: “As we acknowledged at our recent IJB meeting, the Care Inspectorate report is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and compassion of our Home Assessment Teams. This recognition highlights our commitment to continuous improvement and delivering the highest standards of care.

“It is also a powerful reminder of how rewarding working in social care can be and how we should value all staff across our health and social care services.”