NHS Borders Chief Executive thanks the public for their ideas on the ‘future direction’ of the Board

During January 2025 NHS Borders launched a large scale engagement exercise to hear from our staff and communities about what NHS Borders means to them, what they value about our services and where there are opportunities for improvement. 

The information gathered was to inform the development of the ‘future direction’ of NHS Borders and to inform our organisational strategy for the next five years; giving us an opportunity to reconnect with our staff and communities, provide a clear vision of where we are going and link this to our values. 

Through a combination of pop-up conversations that took place across the entire Borders including in supermarkets, libraries and leisure centres, with an option to fill in an on-line questionnaire a total of 1347 responses were received. 

Commenting on the success of the engagement, Chief Executive of NHS Borders, Peter Moore said: “I would like to extend a massive thank you for your incredible response to our recent engagement on the Future Direction of NHS Borders. I have been pleasantly surprised by the thoughtfulness, candidness, and depth of ideas that you have put forward.  

“The hospitality, enthusiasm, and the sense of community spirit that we have been shown throughout this engagement has been genuinely uplifting. It has been heartwarming to see just how special the relationship is between NHS Borders and our communities. And, whilst acknowledging the unique differences between us I also recognise there are really strong common threads that bind us together.  

“Amongst other things we have heard about the importance of timely access to services, the need for community health services and how much value you place on holistic and preventative care. I really appreciate all you do to keep yourselves well, despite how difficult this can be within the current social and economic climate. 

“The amazing level of positively-framed and constructive feedback we have received has been invaluable in informing the development of our organisational strategy for 2025 - 2030. As I’m sure you can appreciate, there is further work to be done, and I look forward to sharing the strategy with you when it is ready. 

“My thanks go out to you for supporting this important piece of work as we shape the future of NHS Borders.” 

A summary of the initial emerging themes from the responses can be viewed on our website at: www.nhsborders.scot.nhs.uk/our-future-direction. Feedback on the summary is welcomed by emailing bor.strategy@borders.scot.nhs.uk