Our vision
Our vision is to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone living in Forth Valley by working with our partners to prevent people from becoming unwell, reduce health inequalities and make the best use of the resources available to achieve better outcomes.
Our values
NHS Forth Valley has adopted the national NHS Scotland values outlined below and is working to embed these across the organisation to help bring them to life and ensure they are reflected at all key stages including recruitment, induction and training.
Key objectives
NHS Forth Valley has agreed four main corporate objectives which are outlined below. In addition, we are committed to working closely with other NHS Boards and partners at regional and national levels to increase opportunities to work together, share expertise and drive forward improvements.
Corporate objectives
We will collaborate locally, sub-nationally and nationally to deliver shared priorities at pace, with clear accountability, aligned governance and demonstrable benefits for population health, service sustainability and workforce wellbeing.
Deliverables
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Greater collaboration with partners and communities including carers across Forth Valley.
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Greater sub-national collaboration to jointly plan and prioritise services at a
sub-national scale in order to reduce duplication, strengthen sustainability, improve equity of access, and enhance accountability across NHS Scotland. -
Integrated and aligned goals and streamlined governance arrangements with explicit ownership and decision rights.
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More integrated services locally, and sub-nationally and nationally with evidence of reduced duplication and improved access or outcomes.
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Create an environment where diversity is valued, and people are treated with respect.
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Improved health and wellbeing of staff, patients and the wider community.
We will reform and redesign the way we deliver health and care services to meet current and future challenges, including demographic change, widening inequalities and improving the quality and safety of services.
Deliverables
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Reduced reliance on hospital-based care, through greater investment in preventative and proactive community care services supported by a skilled workforce.
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Ongoing investment in digital technology and innovation to support improvements across our health and care system.
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Further improvements in the delivery of safe, high quality, and sustainable patient care through an effective Quality Management System.
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Reduce the levels of disease and premature death through targeted action and investment to address health inequalities, increase prevention programmes, and improve uptake across local communities.
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Develop a wider understanding of the health needs of our population and communities.
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Embed a Human Learning System culture across the organization as a whole as a key foundation of organisational transformation.
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Continue to build a culture with associated behaviours which is a delivery lever for transformation, productivity and change across our health and care system.
- Improved staff recruitment and retention through staff feeling valued, involved and empowered to make positive change.
We will strengthen stewardship capability and accountability at all levels to ensure that we have a positive and proactive approach to clinical, staff and financial governance across the organization.
Deliverables
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Greater financial sustainability and reduced waste through programmes to increase efficiency and innovation.
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Achieving the best value for our available resources, including reducing variation and treatments of low clinical value.
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Transparent monitoring of savings delivery and reinvestment.
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Development of key workforce plans and policies including staff development and PDPR activity to support improved compliance with standards and stronger grip on costs.
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Financial Stewardship development for budget holders.
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Development and delivery of capital priorities.
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Continued improvement of corporate governance and processes embracing digital solutions which enhance our delivery.
Focus our services, funding and efforts on the areas which will achieve the greatest impact, benefits and outcomes to improve the health and wellbeing of our whole population.
Deliverables
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Embed a preventative, value-based approach by disinvesting from low-value activity and delivering measurable improvements in population health as we implement our Population Health and Care Strategy.
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Improve health and wellbeing outcomes to ensure the best start for children and young people.
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Improve mental health and wellbeing for everyone.
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Improve patient safety outcomes by more comprehensively integrating our Quality Management System into patient care and clinical governance processes.
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Ongoing progress against the targets in our Climate Emergency & Sustainability Action Plan.
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Staff feel valued, respected and safe at work in an environment where every individual can flourish and we monitor culture outcomes to ensure that there is consistently positive staff experience across the organisation.
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Diversity is valued, fostered and celebrated with the organization, appreciating the richness of skills and experiences a diverse workforce brings.
Key plans and priorities
Local
NHS Forth Valley’s Population Health & Care Strategy 2025 – 2035 sets out a bold vision to improve the health and wellbeing of all residents by focusing on prevention, reducing inequalities, and delivering care closer to home.
National
The Scottish Government’s has set out specific priority commitments for 2026/27, including key actions (outlined below) for all NHS Boards, to reducing waiting times, improve patient flow and expand access through innovation. These actions will be taken forward through local plans for 2026/27.
- Scotland’s Population Health Framework (2025 – 2035)
- NHS Scotland Financial Improvement – 15 Box Grid (2026 – 2027)
Reduce long waits
Further increase productivity and efficiency to create additional capacity, maintain progress and continue to reduce the longest waits while ensuring clinical prioritisation is preserved, particularly in relation to cancer tests and treatment. NHS Boards should maximise all available capacity for planned operations and treatment, including National Treatment Centres, sub-national arrangements, local theatres, and community-based options where appropriate, supported by improved theatre planning and use.
Increase diagnostic productivity
Increase the use of diagnostic activity at a local, national and sub-national level to support timely diagnosis and treatment. This includes strengthening access to community-based diagnostic tests and improving digital infrastructure and systems.
Improve emergency and unplanned care
Develop sustainable urgent and emergency care arrangements that minimise delays, including suitable alternatives to admission. This includes Walk-in Centre testing in participating areas, zero-day length of stay and short stay pathways. Improve occupancy by reducing the number of delayed discharges supported by 7-day working, integrated discharge teams, increased community capacity and alternatives to hospital admission.
Expand Hospital at Home services
Prioritise expansion, utilisation and consistency of Hospital at Home services and alternatives to acute hospital admission by reducing variation and enabling more people to receive safe, effective care in the community.
Support safe and high-quality maternity and neonatal services
Implement any actions or recommendations from the HIS Maternity Services inspection reports and deliver the required changes to implement the new neonatal intensive care model to ensure mothers and babies receive safe, high quality care in the right place at the right time.
Improve mental health, neurodiversity and learning disability services and support
Develop and improve access to neurodevelopmental services and support for people of all ages
Strengthen pathways and support across wider mental health services in collaboration with local and national partners, including community-based supports.
Accelerate digital access and modernisation
Improve access, communication and care coordination through continued rollout of MyCare.scot and wider digital improvements across hospital, community and primary care.
Become a population health organisation
Undertake an assessment and produce an action plan to deliver the ambitions set out in Scotland’s Population Health Framework.
Sub-national planning and delivery arrangements
In November 2025, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care announced plans to create two sub-national planning structures, one focused on the East of Scotland and one in the West of Scotland, building on the good joint working already in place.
All NHS Boards are participating in this new planning approach to help deliver key priorities on digital care, business systems, emergency healthcare services and orthopaedic services.
