On the 23rd of Nov 2022, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf, confirmed in a statement to the Scottish Parliament that NHS Forth Valley had been escalated to Stage 4 of the NHS Scotland Performance Escalation Framework.

As a result, an Assurance Board has been established which brings direct formal oversight and engagement from Scottish Government to review and scrutinise an Improvement Plan to be developed by the Executive Leadership Team.

Scottish Government Assurance Board

The Assurance Board is supporting NHS Forth Valley’s Executive Leadership Team to deliver improvements in performance in a number of areas, including Primary Care out of hours services, unscheduled care, mental health, and integration through effective governance, strong leadership, and an improved culture to deliver sustainable change.

You can find out more about the Assurance Board, including membership, terms of reference and minutes of meetings on the Scottish Government website.

Scottish Government External Support Team

In addition, Professor Hazel Borland (former Executive Nurse Director and interim Chief Executive of NHS Ayrshire & Arran) and Dr John Harden (Deputy National Clinical Director, Scottish Government and ED Consultant, NHS Lanarkshire) make up the Assurance Team and are providing support to NHS Forth Valley’s Executive Leadership Team to help take forward the actions and changes required.

Professor John Brown, Chair of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, also joined the external support team in January 2023 to conduct a review of the effectiveness of the governance arrangements within NHS Forth Valley.

Escalation Improvement Plan

This Improvement Plan sets out a number of areas of initial focus in response to the NHS Board’s Escalation status. It will continue to develop and evolve, informed by feedback from local patients, staff, and partners. Our key focus, while on strengthening our leadership informed by effective governance and cultural improvement, is centred around three guiding principles :-

• Putting patients first – everyone who uses our services should expect to receive consistently high standards of care and treatment
•  Supporting our staff – by ensuring that they have the right working conditions and resources to support their own wellbeing and deliver the
  best care and services possible
• Working in partnership – building and sustaining a culture of collaboration with partners based on trust and respect, learning, and sharing
  of best practice

Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) Inspection Report and Public Involvement Group

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) published a report on 5th December 2022 following an unannounced follow-up inspection visit to Forth Valley Royal Hospital on 27th and 28th September 2022.

The report recognises the extreme pressures being experienced across the hospital at the time of the visit due to increased patient numbers, delayed discharges and high levels of staff absence. Following the visit, immediate action taken to address many of the issues and concerns highlighted by the inspectors.

We recognise that there is still more work to do, and we are committed to fully addressing all of the report recommendations and working with the Assurance Board set up by the Scottish Government to drive forward the changes and improvements required across the organisation. Details of the work underway to address the recommendations are outlined in our wider Escalation Improvement Plan. An update on the HIS Action Plan was presented at the NHS Forth Valley Board meeting on 31st January 2023.

Public Participation Group

We are looking for local people to join our Public Participation Group to help take forward changes and improvements at Forth Valley Royal Hospital over the next three months. Your feedback, suggestions and ideas will help Influence local plans and priorities across the hospital and wider organisation.

Join us on Tues 21st Feb 2023 at 6.00pm in the Spiritual Care Centre on the ground floor of Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

To attend or find out more about how you can get involved email fv.fvquality@nhs.scot

Additional Information

You can read a copy of the Healthcare Improvement Scotland media release here and a copy of NHS Forth Valley’s media statement in response to the report here.