Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership is one of 31 integration bodies in Scotland, serving a population of over 160,000 across rural and urban communities. It aims to enable people in Falkirk to live full and positive lives within supportive and inclusive communities.
The Partnership’s workforce is employed by Falkirk Council, NHS Forth Valley, and its partners in the third and independent sectors. They work in local social work offices, health centres, GP Practices, community hospitals, care homes, intermediate care facilities, day centres, and communities across the Falkirk area.
The Partnership delivers adult social care and social work support, as well as children’s social work and justice social work services. Its wide range of services are overseen by the Integration Joint Board. The Board manages an annual budget of over £310m and is made up of representatives from Falkirk Council, NHS Forth Valley, the third sector, service users, and carers.
Our Senior Team
Gail Woodcock, Chief Officer
Chief Officer for the Integration Joint Board and Director of Health and Social Care Services.
Caroline Doherty, Head of Community Services
covering Care at Home, Localities Adult Social Work, District Nursing, Care Homes, Community Hospitals, Hospital Discharge, Carers Support, Self-Directed Support, Short Breaks, and Out of Hours provision.
Martin Thom, Head of Specialist Services
covering Prison Healthcare, Allied Health Professions, Mental Health, Learning Disability Services, Living Well Services (including community equipment, public protection arrangements and Keep Well services).
Sara Lacey, Chief Social Work Officer
covering Children & Families Social Work, Justice Social Work Services and CSWO functions under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 for Falkirk Council.
Tom Cowan, Head of Strategic Planning, Performance & Transformation
covering Primary Care; Health Improvement; Strategic Planning; Policy; Performance; Equalities; funding and grants; Technology Enabled Care; and Transformation.
Marie Keirs, Chief Finance Officer
covering Business and Governance Support; Risk Management; Commissioning; Financial Management and Communications.
What is health and social care integration?
Integration is the most significant change to health and social care services in Scotland since the creation of the NHS in 1948.
It ensures that health and social care services and support options are joined-up and seamless, especially for people with longer-term or complex needs.
The Scottish Government’s programme of integration is underpinned by the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014, which requires local authorities and health boards to work together by law. This legislation resulted in the creation of 31 health and social care partnerships across Scotland.
You don’t need to do anything differently to access support– services have been working together behind the scenes. Health and social care staff are working more closely to support individuals and deliver joined-up care in local communities across Forth Valley.
You can learn more about integration on the Health and Social Care Scotland website, the national network for Scotland’s integration bodies.