NHS Forth Valley’s new chief is named
Cathie will take up post before end of the year
A woman who trained as a nurse before moving on to a number of top health service posts was this week named NHS Forth Valley’s new chief executive.
Cathie Cowan said getting to know staff and building on relationships with partner organisations and communities will be among her first priorities in the new job.
She succeeds Jane Grant, who left earlier this year to become chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Ms Cowan, who is currently the chief executive of NHS Orkney, is expected to take up her new position before the end of the year.
The board’s finance director, Fiona Ramsay, is currently interim director of the board.
Alex Linkston, chairman of NHS FV, said: “Cathie is an experienced leader who has an outstanding track record in improving patient care and I am therefore confident she is the right person to take the organisation forward.”
Ms Cowan said: “One of my first priorities will be to meet with local staff working across NHS Forth Valley in primary, community and hospital care.
“I also want to build on relationships with key partner organisations and become acquainted with communities as we work together to build on achievements to improve the lives and the care and services provided to the people of Forth Valley.”
Ms Cowan did nurse training 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 a 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.
She returned to Glasgow in 2005 to take up a 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.
She also worked at this time as executive director at Orkney Islands Council and led the integration of health and social care services before the appointment of Orkney’s chief officer.
Ian Kinniburgh, chair of NHS Orkney, said: “Her personal contribution to NHS Orkney has been significant, and her role in securing the new hospital and healthcare facility cannot be underestimated. Cathie will be a very hard act for anyone to follow.”