Michael McCusker

NHS Forth Valley

NHS Forth Valley is one of 14 regional health boards and serves a population of around 300,000 in an diverse geographical area which covers the heart of Scotland. An exciting place to live and work, its diverse and rich cultural history embraces a wide range of urban centres and rural communities across Central Scotland. This includes the ancient city of Stirling, once the capital of Scotland, Falkirk, home of the world's only rotating boat lift and the magnificent Kelpies, and local villages within Clackmannanshire which lies in the shadow of the Ochil Hills. Transport links are second to none with excellent rail services to all major cities and a motorway network which accesses Edinburgh and Glasgow within an hour. It is also an excellent location for families, with a wide range of schools both state and independent, great shopping, leisure and arts facilities and plenty of healthy fresh air for hill walking, golf, cycling and even paragliding! The Board controls an annual budget of £550 million, and employs around 7000 staff. Our modern acute hospital – Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert – is one of the most advanced and well equipped in Europe, and is supported by a network of four community hospitals, 56 health centres, day centres providing care and support for patients with mental illness and learning disabilities and a wide range of community based services. We are home to the Scottish Centre for Clinical Simulation and Human Factors, one of the most advanced training facilities of its kind where medical staff are able to hone their skills using computerised mannequins. In addition, NHS Forth Valley has been named in a survey of trainee doctors as one of the top places to be in the UK for medical education and training.