Integration Joint Board

Dr Michele McClung, NHS Forth Valley (Chair)

Michele McClung is a Non-Executive Board Member for NHS Forth Valley and has over 20 years of public sector experience in a policy and research environment. She has worked in both Stirling Council and Falkirk Council and is now employed by Education Services within Glasgow City Council, where she leads a team providing strategic support to the Directorate.

Michele has been a member of Falkirk and Central Scotland Samaritans and is a member of the national board of Trustees which is responsible for the governance of all Samaritan branches throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Michele’s key areas of interest include mental health, poverty and inequality.

Councillor Fiona Collie, Falkirk Council (Vice Chair)

Councillor Fiona Collie is Councillor for the Denny & Banknock ward and is Portfolio Holder for Health & Social Care. Fiona has worked in both paid and volunteer roles within the third sector for most of her career in a wide range of roles including policy development, campaigning, advice and support. She combines her council role with employment with the charity Carers Scotland and volunteer roles.

Councillor Stacey Devine, Falkirk Council

Councillor Devine is an elected member for Bo’ness and Blackness, with over 15 years’ experience working with local and national charities, community and youth groups. A former NUS Scotland Women’s Officer, Stacey is passionate about equality and women’s rights issues.

She has previously served on the Boards of Engender, the Equality Challenge Unit, and Reid Kerr College, and has extensive national campaign experience covering a wide range of issues including education, carers support, domestic abuse, mental health, and childcare.

Councillor Anne Hannah, Falkirk Council

Councillor Hannah was nominated to the Integration Joint Board during the meeting of Falkirk Council on 25 May 2022, the first to take place since local elections on 05 May 2022. A full member biography will be available soon.

Gordon Johnston, NHS Forth Valley

Gordon has held senior roles in the public and voluntary sectors in areas including community development, managing a local community engagement organisation, and co ordinating the distribution of National Lottery and European funding. He is now active in many third sector mental health organisations in Scotland, has considerable leadership and governance experience and is currently chair of Bipolar Scotland and a public partner with Healthcare Improvement Scotland. He also carries out paid consultancy work, mainly in peer research, patient engagement, community development and organisational development. Gordon was appointed as a Board member of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland in April 2017 and chairs its Audit, Risk and Information Governance Committee. In 2019 he became a member of the Mental Health Strategic Delivery Board, established and chaired by the Minister for Mental Health.

Stephen McAllister, NHS Forth Valley

Stephen is a former senior Police Officer, with extensive experience in leadership, governance and performance management. During his career, Stephen was a Police Hostage and Crisis Negotiator, which allowed him to develop excellent active listening skills and influencing skills. Stephen was the Police Divisional Commander in Forth Valley prior to retiring and as such has a good perspective on the delivery of a unitary service across three local authorities and a firm understanding of the physical and social geography of the area that Forth Valley Health Board covers.

Since leaving Police Scotland, he has built up non-executive board experience in both the voluntary and public sector and as a consultant in mental health improvement and negotiation. Stephen hopes to bring these various strands of his Police career and post police experience to the benefit of Forth Valley Health board and community it serves.

Patricia Cassidy, Chief Officer

Patricia originally trained as a nurse and has worked with a number of health boards in a variety of roles including health education and health promotion. She was also a visiting specialist lecturer in health studies and community nursing at Glasgow Caledonian University and has worked in a number of national roles with sportsscotland, the Scottish Consumer Council and the Health Education Board for Scotland.

After joining Aberdeen City Council in 2010, Patricia worked in a number of senior positions before moving to Inverclyde Council in 2014 where she was Corporate Director for Education, Communities and Organisational Development.

Steven Kirkwood, Interim Chief Finance Officer

Steven joined Falkirk IJB in June 2022 as Interim Chief Finance Officer. A full member biography will be available soon.

Kenneth Lawrie, Chief Executive, Falkirk Council

Kenneth Lawrie was recently appointed as Falkirk Council’s new Chief Executive and took up his role at the beginning of August.

Kenneth joined local government in 1994 and since then has held various positions at Dartford Borough Council and Scottish Borders Council, taking up the position as Chief Executive with Midlothian Council in September 2009.

Cathie Cowan, Chief Executive, NHS Forth Valley

Cathie originally trained as a nurse at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow in the 1980s and worked in a variety of nursing roles before moving to Perth in 1990, initially to take up post as a Clinical Nurse Manager at Perth Royal Infirmary and later as Clinical Services and Business Manager for the former Perth and Kinross NHS Trust. In 1995, she was appointed Director of Nursing, Patient Services and Planning for Kirkcaldy NHS Trust and then Director of Service Development and Capacity Planning for the Fife NHS Board.

Cathie returned to Glasgow in 2005 to take up post as the Director for the new South East Glasgow Community Health and Care Partnership before moving to Orkney in 2010 as the Chief Executive of NHS Orkney, Cathie also worked at this time as Executive Director at Orkney Islands Council and lead the integration of health and social care services before the appointment of Orkney’s Chief Officer.

Cathie has an MSc in Leadership (Quality Improvement), is a GenerationQ Fellow and a member of the Q Community, whose mission is to foster continuous and sustainable improvement in health and care.

Sara Lacey, Chief Social Work Officer

Sara Lacey is Head of Social Work Children’s Services and Chief Social Work Officer for Falkirk Council. Sara has worked in social care for 25 years and has been a qualified social worker since 1996. She has worked in a variety of practice and leadership roles within the local authority, third and independent sectors. Over the course of her career Sara has worked predominantly within children and families services; starting her management experience in a statutory support and protection team before moving on to provide preventative family support. Prior to coming to Falkirk Council Sara was the Managing Director of a national residential child care organisation and spent time overseas developing home based nursing services for people with critical health issues and at end of life. Sara’s current role as Head of Service includes responsibility for Criminal Justice Services. As Chief Social Work Officer Sara is a non-voting member of the IJB and a member of the Clinical and Care Governance Group.

Andrew Murray, Medical Director, NHS Forth Valley

Andrew is a founding member of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management and has led the redesign of a wide range of medical services. He has also developed and implemented new models of care across community and acute hospitals.

He graduated from Glasgow University in 1988 and worked in both Scotland and New Zealand until 2001, when he moved to NHS Ayrshire and Arran as a Consultant ENT surgeon, Clinical Director, Associate Medical Director and then Medical Director with NHS Borders before taking his current post of Medical Director at NHS Forth Valley.

Gillian Morton, Interim Director of Nursing,  NHS Forth Valley

Since qualifying as a nurse in 1984 and a midwife in 1987, Gillian has held a number of senior nursing and midwifery posts including Associate Nurse Director and Chief Midwife. Gillian subsequently became NHS Forth Valley’s Director for Women’s, Children’s and Sexual Health Services. She has also managed a range of other services including, most recently, the development of NHS Forth Valley’s Corporate Programme Management Office which oversees the development and implementation of a range of strategic projects and provides expert guidance and support to staff across the organisation.

A strong clinical leader with both front-line, operational and strategic experience, Gillian has creatively and collaboratively delivered a wide range of changes and improvements in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment. She also has a significant leadership role, nationally and locally, in taking forward Best Start – the Scottish Government’s national plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care.

Gillian’s is passionate about developing people and giving a voice to families who use NHS services. She was awarded an MBE in 2020 for her services to healthcare.

Dr David Herron, GP Clinical Lead, Falkirk HSCP

David graduated from Manchester in 2002 and has been a GP Partner in a practice in Polmont since 2006. He is also involved in training medical students and GP Trainees and arranging educational events for GPs across Forth Valley. David chair’s NHS Forth Valley’s GP Subcommittee which provides advice on a wide range of issues affecting General Practice.

Gail Woodcock, Head of Integration

Gail has over 28 years’ experience working within local authority, community, and health and social care settings. She joins the Partnership from adult social care provider Bon Accord Care, where she had overall responsibility for the delivery of services as Interim Managing Director. Her career also spans significant roles at Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership. Gail is a former chair of the Health and Social Care Scotland Strategic Commissioning Group. She has expertise in managing transformation projects, having established locality working within Aberdeen City and implemented improvement plans covering primary care, mental health, and digital services.

Martin Thom, Head of Integration

Martin has a strong commitment to working in partnership with NHS, voluntary and private sector partners. For over twenty years, he has worked as a practitioner and manager within Social Work and Social Care. His experience spans a range of services covering residential care for adults with learning disabilities, support for people affected by alcohol-related brain injury, criminal justice social work services, and offenders with problem drug use. Prior to joining Falkirk, Martin has held senior roles at Fife Council as Head of Older People Services and for Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, where he was appointed Head of Community Care – Partnerships.

Robert Clark, NHS Forth Valley

Robert began his career in NHS Forth Valley in 1985 working as a relief Plaster Technician and then moved to Theatres as a Theatre Orderly. He then undertook the Operating Department Practitioner course, qualified in 1989, and has worked in Theatres since then.

He has been involved in the Trade Union movement since 1985 and became a Unison steward in 1990. He has also served as Branch Secretary for the Stirling Royal Infirmary and latterly the Forth Valley Health branches of Unison.

Robert is a passionate believer in Partnership Working, fairness and equality and has served on NHS Forth Valley’s Acute Service’s Partnership Forum and the Area Partnership Forum for many years.

He is a strong supporter of the NHS and is committed to doing all he can to preserve this great institution to ensure it can continue to provide care to all, regardless of their income or social background.

Roger Ridley, Falkirk Council

Roger is the union representative from Falkirk Council on the committee. Roger has worked in social work for thirty five years. Working in children and families social work as a social worker and manager most of that time but moving to adults services as a mental health officer over the last few years.

Thus, Roger feels the values that brought him in to social work all those years ago still motivate him both in his work with Unison but also his role as representative on the board, trying to see individuals and communities holistically

Margo Biggs, Service user representative

Margo was born in Glasgow and has lived in Falkirk for over 40 years. She studied at Glasgow University graduating in Politics and Modern History and gained a post graduate qualification in economic history and media education. Margo has taught Modern Studies, tackling political issues nationally and internationally and concentrating on the depth study in health and social care. In addition, Margo has taught life skills courses to pupils, who previously lack motivation and success in the community.

After taking early retirement, Margo joined the local health council in Forth Valley taking on the task of monitoring services for patients. Margo is currently a member of the Patient Public Panel in Forth Valley Hospitals and of the PPF serving the interests of patients and carers in Falkirk.

In Forth Valley she was a lay reviewer visiting GP practices and currently serves on the RCGP P3 Patient Group looking at ways in which patients can become more involved in how practices serve their communities. She has been a public partner with Health Improvement Scotland for many years doing hospital visits, latterly as an HEI Inspector and a member of SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network) contributing to Patient Versions of Guidelines.

Margo passionately believes in equality for patients and carers and involving patients in decisions about their treatment and care and being communicated with in the provision of information and being consulted and fed back to on what they contribute.

Outside of health and social care her interests and commitments include being an active church member and a Season Ticket Holder at Falkirk Football Club.

Frank Donnelly, Carers representative 

During the Board meeting of 10 June 2022, the Board agreed the temporary appointment of Frank Donnelly as the Carer Representative pending the conclusion of a recruitment process to identify a representative.

Victoria McRae, Third sector representative

Appointed as CEO of CVS Falkirk at the end of 2020, Victoria has extensive experience in both the private and third sector, working with the organisation since 2010.

CVS Falkirk & District is the third sector interface for the Falkirk area, with a primary role in ensuring the continuation and development of a vibrant local third sector.

Victoria and the CVS team support local partners in creating change and making a lasting, valued, difference to the communities of Falkirk.