Caroline Lamb, the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Director General of Health and Social Care for the Scottish Government along with John Burns, NHS Scotland’s Chief Operating Officer, visited NHS Forth Valley on 23rd September to meet with local staff.
The visit was the first in a series of NHS visits for NHS Scotland’s new Chief Executive who was appointed in January 2021. Following a meeting with NHS Forth Valley’s Chief Executive and Chair, Caroline met with a number of senior clinical and service leads at Forth Valley Royal Hospital where she heard about some of the current challenges as well as recent changes and improvements to how we help treat as many local patients as possible.
Opportunities to increase capacity further and make best use of the resources and excellent facilities available in the hospital were also discussed.
During the visit, Caroline Lamb and John Burns also met staff in the Emergency Department and Endoscopy Unit where they were shown how a number of procedures, which would previously have been carried out in operating theatres, were now being carried out in treatment rooms within the Unit.
Cathie Cowan, NHS Forth Valley’s Chief Executive, said: “We were delighted that NHS Scotland’s Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer chose NHS Forth Valley for their first NHS site visit.
“It was a great opportunity to showcase the work of local staff and show how they have introduced new and innovative ways of working to help address the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Caroline Lamb, Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, said: “Across Scotland, Health Board colleagues continue to face unprecedented challenges. This visit provided an opportunity for me to show my continued support and gratitude for the hard work and dedication shown by all in health and social care services throughout the pandemic.
“I was impressed to hear about the wide range of initiatives underway to maximise capacity in the system and see first-hand hand the excellent work carried out by local staff working across the hospital and the wider organisation.”
