Appointment of up to three Members to the Board of NHS Forth Valley

ROLE SUMMARY

The NHS is one of Scotland's most valued and trusted institutions, and helping to shape its future while providing assurance that services are delivered effectively, efficiently and in the best interests of patients and communities is a rewarding and inspiring opportunity.

NHS Forth Valley serves a population of more than 306,000 people across Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire. Working closely with our two Health and Social Care Partnerships and a wide range of partners, we provide services through Forth Valley Royal Hospital, community hospitals, health centres and extensive community-based services across the heart of Scotland. The Board has an annual budget of approximately £1 billion and employs around 6,524 whole-time equivalent staff.

This is an exciting time to join the Board of NHS Forth Valley as we respond to the Scottish Government’s ambitious programme of delivering Public Sector Reform, taking a prevention-first approach, through the Health and Social Care Renewal Framework and Population Health Framework, both of which provide an evidence-based focus on improving health and reducing inequality. The Programme for Government, announced in September 2026, sets out the priority to simplify the NHS by replacing the current 14 territorial Health Boards with two Strategic Health Boards which will impact on NHS Forth Valley at some point in the future. Alongside other measures to improve patient experience, including the National Flow Plan, this will deliver more efficient use of resources across Scotland, freeing up more time and capacity for treatment, and improve patient access through more joined up care. It will also support efforts to improve further the integration of health and social care services.

Whilst we undertake this transitional phase to build a stronger and sustainable future, NHS Forth Valley must maintain its focus on delivering and improving services for our communities and implementing its duties in good governance.

NHS Forth Valley continues to transform the way we deliver health and care services to meet current and future challenges, including rising demand, increasing complexity, widening inequalities, and a challenging financial environment, with the aim of improving the quality and safety of services.

Our vision, aligned with national priorities, is to become a Population Health Organisation helping people live longer, healthier lives with a stronger focus on prevention; providing more care, services and support closer to home; achieving the best value and outcomes from the funding available, and closer collaboration with partners. We are also working with other Boards as part of Scotland's new sub-national planning arrangements to support more effective planning and delivery of services across wider populations in preparation for the transition to 2 Strategic Health Boards.

We continue to embed cultural change and compassionate leadership throughout the organisation to ensure that everyone feels valued and can contribute their best.

We are therefore seeking individuals who can bring strong leadership, governance and strategic thinking, alongside a commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Having a diverse Board improves decision making and helps us better understand and respond to the needs of the communities we serve. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds who can bring fresh perspectives, different experiences and a commitment to public service.

Responsibilities

RESPONSIBILITIES

Public Appointees are responsible for:

• ensuring that the public body delivers its functions in accordance with Scottish Ministers’ policies and priorities
• providing strategic leadership
• ensuring financial stewardship
• holding the Chief Executive and senior management team to account

Further information about the role and the board can be found in the Candidate Information Pack.

Qualifications

ROLE CRITERIA

We are recruiting to three specific roles:

• Non-Executive Board Member (Strategic Leadership, Transformation and Change)
• Non-Executive Board Member (Population Health, Health Inequalities and Community Insight)
• Non-Executive Board Member (Strategic Finance and Governance)

Although each role requires particular skills and experience, all appointees will make a full contribution to the work of the Board, including participation in governance committees and the Integration Joint Boards of our two Health and Social Care Partnerships.

As a Non-Executive Board Member, you will help shape the organisation's strategic direction, provide scrutiny and assurance on performance, governance and accountability, and support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred health and care services for the people of Forth Valley. You will also help ensure that NHS Forth Valley maintains public confidence and continues to respond effectively to the challenges and opportunities facing health and care services in Scotland.

Remuneration and time commitment: Remuneration is £16,224 per annum* (non-pensionable) based on working for 8 hours per week, on average. Reasonable expenses incurred will be reimbursed.

*Rising to £17,784 from 1 April 2027

Location: The Board Headquarters is Carseview House, Castle Business Park, Stirling, FK9 4SW. The expectation is that there will be a blend of virtual and physical meetings, and a physical presence will be required to be able to conduct the full range of Board activities across Forth Valley.

Interviews: Interviews will be held on Monday 16, Tuesday 17 and Friday 20 November 2026; Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 December 2026. at the NHS Forth Valley Board Headquarters, Carseview House, Castle Business Park, Stirling.

It is unlikely that we will be able to offer alternative interview dates, but a virtual option will be offered to anyone requiring this as a reasonable adjustment.

Virtual Information Event: To give our candidates more information about these exciting opportunities, we are holding a virtual information session on:

Wednesday 7 October 2026 from 18:00 – 19:15.

To register for the information session, please follow the link below and details on how to join the event will be sent out to you.

NHS Forth Valley Non-Executive Director Recruitment Information Session | Join meeting in Teams | Microsoft Teams

If you require more information on the role of the Board, the role of Non-Executive Board Members or NHS Forth Valley in general, you are welcome to contact the Board, by emailing: fv.boardmeeting@nhs.scot

To find out more about being a Non-Executive Board Member and about NHS Forth Valley please download the Candidate Information Pack.

How to apply

• Download and read the Candidate Information Pack carefully before completing your application.
• Review the Person Specification and decide which of the three roles you wish to apply for. You may only apply for one role. Applications for multiple roles will not be considered.
• Prepare a tailored career/life history outlining how your roles, experience and activities are relevant to the position. This should be no more than 500 words and saved as one PDF document ready for upload.
• Complete the online application form, including the personal information and conflict of interest sections.
• Upload your PDF document using the Supporting Documents section of the application form.
• Provide evidence against:

o your chosen Priority Criterion (maximum 400 words); and

o Essential Criterion 1 – Communication, Constructive Challenge and Influencing Skills (maximum 300 words); and

o Essential Criterion 3 – Motivation and Fit through Demonstration of the NHS Scotland Values (maximum 300 words).

• Please clearly state which role you are applying for:

• o Non-Executive Board Member (Strategic Leadership, Transformation and Change)
• o Non-Executive Board Member (Population Health, Health Inequalities and Community Insight)
• o Non-Executive Board Member (Strategic Finance and Governance)

• Submit your application no later than 17:00 on Tuesday 20 October 2026.

Please note:

• We strongly recommend drafting your responses in a separate document before completing the online application form.
• Content exceeding the stated word limits will not be considered by the selection panel.
• Once submitted, applications cannot be amended.
• Late applications cannot be accepted.

Need support?

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the appointments process, or experience difficulties using the online application system, please contact the Public Appointments Team at Public.appointments@gov.scot

Further information

For detailed application guidance, advice on preparing evidence and interview information, please refer to the Candidate Information Pack.

Applicants can also find additional information about the public appointments process at Public appointments: information and vacancies - gov.scot

ABOUT US

Public appointments are made by Scottish Ministers. The appointments process is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner you can find out more about the Commissioner here: Public appointments | Ethical Standards Commissioner

EQUALITY STATEMENT

Scottish Ministers value highly the benefits of diverse Public Body Boards. People from all walks of life are encouraged to apply for public appointments.

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Security checks

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, and read about the Government Vetting Charter, or about all of the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

Internal candidates may need to gain higher security clearance than they currently hold if successful in their application.