The Board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde met on Tuesday, 25 February 2025.
The full set of papers are here.
This summary sets out key decisions and issues considered at the meeting.
Chair’s report
Dr Lesley Thomson KC welcomed NHSGGC’s new Chief Executive, Professor Jann Gardner, to her first meeting of the Board. She also paid tribute to Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, Anne MacPherson, who is retiring after 44 years’ service in the public sector, including 21 years at NHSGGC, and as Director of Director of HR and OD since 2015. She welcomed Natalie Smith, who has been appointed as Interim HR and OD Director with an additional responsibility for cultural development.
Tributes were also paid to Christine Laverty who was attending her last Board meeting before taking up post as the Chief Officer of Edinburgh HSCP. Carron O’Byrne was welcomed as Interim Chief Officer for Renfrewshire HSCP.
The Chair reported on a number of recent engagements including a series of visits with Professor Gardner to meet staff in the Chief Executive’s first week, a meeting with trades union representatives to discuss the organisation’s response to Storm Éowyn, and a Board seminar on culture.
Chief Executive’s report
Professor Jann Gardner, Chief Executive, noted how delighted she was to have joined NHSGGC. She noted one of her key priorities as Chief Executive was to get out and about to meet colleagues and to hear from them what it means to work within their teams and within NHSGGC and to learn more about their ideas for the future.
She spoke about how impressed she had been with the capability, commitment and compassion demonstrated by everyone that she had met and thanked colleagues across NHSGGC for their warm welcome. She also outlined to the Board the range of visits she had undertaken with senior colleagues, including to the QEUH Emergency Department, Immediate Assessment Unit and critical care, the Woodland’s Centre, The Thistle, North East Hub and the GRI Emergency Department, urology hub and surgical assessment unit, the Vale of Leven Day Surgery Unit, Stobhill Day Surgery and Minor Injuries Unit and Skye House.
Vale of Leven Hospital, Skye House, Royal Children’s Hospital, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Royal Alexandra Hospital and New Stobhill Hospital.
Professor Gardner also set out early progress made in her first few weeks in developing ambitious plans to reform and transform services within NHSGGC, aligned with the national priorities as set out in the First Minister’s speech in January 2025. Key to success will be creating conditions where staff are involved in co-designing future service provision and the commitment to create a positive culture where staff feel valued and empowered.
Patient Story
Professor Angela Wallace, pictured left, Executive Nurse Director, introduced the patient story, which this month hears from two patients who have benefited from support from the Long Covid Service.
Health and Social Care Reform Board Update
Professor Jann Gardner, Chief Executive, introduced the paper which sets out ambitious plans to deliver health and social care reform and renewal within NHSGGC to be delivered at scale and pace. Key components include the co-creation and development of a whole system interface care division to support the development of an FNC+ Plus connecting care model, the development of a new model of eTriage, Rapid Assessment, and Care across our front doors, and the creation of an ambitious new ‘NHSGGC Virtual Hospital’ with the expansion of clinical support and treatments from the comfort of a patient’s home.
Digital transformation will play a significant role in this ambitious reform programme, using technology to help people to stay at home and to monitor people in a different way.
Access to planned care will also be improved through further investment to expand our Surgical Hubs at Gartnavel General Hospital and Inverclyde Royal Hospital. This will maximise our Ambulatory Care Hospitals’ capacity to direct further elective capacity away from the main hospital sites and additional National Treatment Centre capacity to reduce waiting times for patients.
Our programme of transformational change will be co-designed and will ensure significant and ongoing staff involvement and engagement. A key objective of this programme is to re-engage and empower staff and patients.
Digital on Demand Strategy
Denise Brown, Director of Digital Services, reported on progress made in the implementation of NHSGGC’s Digital Strategy. ‘Digital On Demand’, covering the period from 2023 to 2028, sets out how we will use technology to transform services and support patients and staff.
It was developed through extensive engagement with staff and members of the public and aims to make digital tools as accessible as possible.
This was the second annual report on our Digital Strategy, and it shows good progress as we continue to increase our use of technology to transform services for patients and staff.
There is a significant amount of work across a range of different areas to maximise the benefits of the adoption of technology and digital services.
This includes evaluating the use of AI algorithms in diagnostics, and the use of digital platforms and remote devices in the management of conditions, as well as freeing up clinicians by moving away from time-consuming paper-based systems.
Specific highlights include the rollout of remote blood pressure monitoring in primary care, with 59% of GP practices now using this with over 6,000 patients enrolled. Patient Hub has been piloted in Neurology and the Ear, Nose and Throat service, with more than 70% of patients accessing their outpatient appointment information and pre-operative assessments digitally.
Our vision is to deliver the best care possible by connecting patients and staff, and there has been a significant amount of engagement carried out during the development and delivery processes of this strategy.
Internal Communications and Employee Engagement Strategy
Anne MacPherson, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, provided an update on progress with the Internal Communications and Employee Engagement Strategy.
Highlights included:
- Achievement of Investors in People, involving the direct engagement of over 3,000 staff since the pilot
- Our second Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) learning event for managers
- Significant staff engagement in the development of strategies – including our Nursing and Midwifery Strategy, Workforce Strategy, Sustainability and Value Programme, and Quality Strategy
- The launch of our Sexual Harassment: Cut It Out programme, to target a specific area of concern flagged up by national surveys and part of our broader campaign to encourage all staff to Speak Up
- The launch of Team Talk – a key communication brief to promote the organisation’s values and encourage two-way discussions within teams on key organisational priorities
- A new proactive approach to recognising and celebrating staff with long-service, including a dedicated showcase at the annual Excellence Awards
- First Communications Audit since the launch of the new staff intranet to understand better the impacts of how we communicate with staff.
Maternity and Neonatal Strategy
Professor Angela Wallace, Executive Nurse Director, presented the draft Maternity and Neonatal strategy for approval. The blueprint and strategic direction for maternity and neonatal services was returning to the Board following clarification on a number of points previously discussed.
The strategy has been developed over the last three years, with input from a range of colleagues, disciplines, staff, and service users. It sets our vision and direction for the coming five years to provide the safest, highest quality maternity and neonatal services to the people of Greater Glasgow and Clyde and, when needed, beyond.
Key areas of strategic intent:
1. Personalised family centred responsive care
2. High quality, safe care for all, including high quality specialist care when it is needed
3. Reducing inequalities
4. Redesigning the way we provide services to give the highest quality care for the best value for money
5. Developing our team to ensure safe staffing, with high levels of retention and job satisfaction
6. Engaging with key stakeholders, in particular with women and families to help shape service improvement
7. Robust clinical governance and effectiveness
8. Effective public protection.